Antisense modulation of fatty acid synthase expression

ABSTRACT

Antisense compounds, compositions and methods are provided for modulating the expression of fatty acid synthase. The compositions comprise antisense compounds, particularly antisense oligonucleotides, targeted to nucleic acids encoding fatty acid synthase. Methods of using these compounds for modulation of fatty acid synthase expression and for treatment of diseases associated with expression of fatty acid synthase are provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention provides compositions and methods for modulating the expression of fatty acid synthase. In particular, this invention relates to compounds, particularly oligonucleotides, specifically hybridizable with nucleic acids encoding fatty acid synthase. Such compounds have been shown to modulate the expression of fatty acid synthase.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Fatty acid synthesis is common to all plants and animals. Fatty acids are involved in diverse functions from energy storage and membrane structure to signal transduction cascades and protein acylation. The high level of fat in the western diet has been implicated in the development of many human malignancies including colon, breast and ovarian carcinoma. Human breast cancer cells exhibit high levels of fatty acid synthase expression and activity and human cancers have the capacity to synthesize their own supply of fatty acid, seemingly independent of the regulatory signals that downregulate fatty acid synthesis in normal cells (Kuhajda, Nutrition (N. Y.), 2000, 16, 202-208).

[0003] In highly lipogenic tissues such as liver, lactating breast, and adipose tissue, the fatty acid synthesis pathway has three primary functions: storage of excess energy intake, synthesis of fat from carbohydrate or protein if the diet is low in fat, and synthesis of fat for lactation (Kuhajda, Nutrition (N. Y.), 2000, 16, 202-208). Fatty acid synthase (also known as FAS and FASN) is the main synthetic enzyme that catalyzes the NADPH-dependent condensation of malonyl-CoA and acetyl-CoA to produce the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid palmitate (Kuhajda, Nutrition (N. Y.), 2000, 16, 202-208).

[0004] Fatty acid synthase was cloned and mapped to chromosome 17q25 (Jayakumar et al., Genomics, 1994, 23, 420-424). A nucleic acid sequence encoding human fatty acid synthase is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,874 and additionally, disclosed and claimed in the same patent is an isolated nucleic acid probe comprising at least 20 contiguous nucleotides selected from or complementary to said nucleic acid sequence encoding human fatty acid synthase (Kuhajda and Pasternack, 1997).

[0005] Of all the lipogenic enzymes in the fatty acid synthesis pathway, fatty acid synthase provides the best opportunity for therapeutic applications because of its tissue distribution and unusual enzymatic activity. It is downregulated in most normal human tissues because of fat in the diet (Kuhajda, Nutrition (N. Y.), 2000, 16, 202-208). As a potential therapeutic target, fatty acid synthase is present at high levels in common human cancers including breast, prostate, colon, endometrium, ovary and thyroid (Kuhajda, Nutrition (N. Y.), 2000, 16, 202-208).

[0006] Loftus et al. have suggested that fatty acid synthase may represent an important link in feeding regulation and may be a potential therapeutic target for obesity (Loftus et al., Science, 2000, 288, 2379-2381).

[0007] Cerulenin, a natural antibiotic product, has been found to inhibit mammalian fatty acid synthase and treatment of the OVCAR-3 human ovarian cancer xenograft in nude mice led to increased survival and prevented the development of malignant ascites (Pizer et al., Cancer Res., 1996, 56, 1189-1193). A synthetic small molecule inhibitor of fatty acid synthase known as C75 has effects on fatty acid synthesis similar to those of cerulenin and is cytotoxic to cancer cells in vitro (Pizer et al., Cancer Res., 1998, 58, 4611-4615).

[0008] A 37-mer antisense oligonucleotide targeting positions 7680-7716 of human fatty acid synthase (according to GenBank sequence U29344) was used to abolish the binding of a large glucose-inducible phosphoprotein that binds to a novel repetitive element in the 3′-UTR of the fatty acid synthase gene (Li et al., Am. J. Physiol., 1998, 274, E577-585).

[0009] Fatty acid synthase is a potentially useful therapeutic target for intervention in hyperproliferative disorders and obesity. Currently, there are no known therapeutic agents that effectively inhibit the synthesis of fatty acid synthase. Consequently, there remains a long felt need for additional agents capable of effectively inhibiting fatty acid synthase function.

[0010] Antisense technology is emerging as an effective means for reducing the expression of specific gene products and may therefore prove to be uniquely useful in a number of therapeutic, diagnostic, and research applications for the modulation of fatty acid synthase expression.

[0011] The present invention provides compositions and methods for modulating fatty acid synthase expression.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention is directed to compounds, particularly antisense oligonucleotides, which are targeted to a nucleic acid encoding fatty acid synthase, and which modulate the expression of fatty acid synthase. Pharmaceutical and other compositions comprising the compounds of the invention are also provided. Further provided are methods of modulating the expression of fatty acid synthase in cells or tissues comprising contacting said cells or tissues with one or more of the antisense compounds or compositions of the invention. Further provided are methods of treating an animal, particularly a human, suspected of having or being prone to a disease or condition associated with expression of fatty acid synthase by administering a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of one or more of the antisense compounds or compositions of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention employs oligomeric compounds, particularly antisense oligonucleotides, for use in modulating the function of nucleic acid molecules encoding fatty acid synthase, ultimately modulating the amount of fatty acid synthase produced. This is accomplished by providing antisense compounds which specifically hybridize with one or more nucleic acids encoding fatty acid synthase. As used herein, the terms “target nucleic acid” and “nucleic acid encoding fatty acid synthase” encompass DNA encoding fatty acid synthase, RNA (including pre-mRNA and mRNA) transcribed from such DNA, and also cDNA derived from such RNA. The specific hybridization of an oligomeric compound with its target nucleic acid interferes with the normal function of the nucleic acid. This modulation of function of a target nucleic acid by compounds which specifically hybridize to it is generally referred to as “antisense”. The functions of DNA to be interfered with include replication and transcription. The functions of RNA to be interfered with include all vital functions such as, for example, translocation of the RNA to the site of protein translation, translocation of the RNA to sites within the cell which are distant from the site of RNA synthesis, translation of protein from the RNA, splicing of the RNA to yield one or more mRNA species, and catalytic activity which may be engaged in or facilitated by the RNA. The overall effect of such interference with target nucleic acid function is modulation of the expression of fatty acid synthase. In the context of the present invention, “modulation” means either an increase (stimulation) or a decrease (inhibition) in the expression of a gene. In the context of the present invention, inhibition is the preferred form of modulation of gene expression and mRNA is a preferred target.

[0014] It is preferred to target specific nucleic acids for antisense. “Targeting” an antisense compound to a particular nucleic acid, in the context of this invention, is a multistep process. The process usually begins with the identification of a nucleic acid sequence whose function is to be modulated. This may be, for example, a cellular gene (or mRNA transcribed from the gene) whose expression is associated with a particular disorder or disease state, or a nucleic acid molecule from an infectious agent. In the present invention, the target is a nucleic acid molecule encoding fatty acid synthase. The targeting process also includes determination of a site or sites within this gene for the antisense interaction to occur such that the desired effect, e.g., detection or modulation of expression of the protein, will result. Within the context of the present invention, a preferred intragenic site is the region encompassing the translation initiation or termination codon of the open reading frame (ORF) of the gene. Since, as is known in the art, the translation initiation codon is typically 5′-AUG (in transcribed mRNA molecules; 5′-ATG in the corresponding DNA molecule), the translation initiation codon is also referred to as the “AUG codon,” the “start codon” or the “AUG start codon”. A minority of genes have a translation initiation codon having the RNA sequence 5′-GUG, 5′-UUG or 5′-CUG, and 5′-AUA, 5′-ACG and 5′-CUG have been shown to function in vivo. Thus, the terms “translation initiation codon” and “start codon” can encompass many codon sequences, even though the initiator amino acid in each instance is typically methionine (in eukaryotes) or formylmethionine (in prokaryotes). It is also known in the art that eukaryotic and prokaryotic genes may have two or more alternative start codons, any one of which may be preferentially utilized for translation initiation in a particular cell type or tissue, or under a particular set of conditions. In the context of the invention, “start codon” and “translation initiation codon” refer to the codon or codons that are used in vivo to initiate translation of an mRNA molecule transcribed from a gene encoding fatty acid synthase, regardless of the sequence(s) of such codons.

[0015] It is also known in the art that a translation termination codon (or “stop codon”) of a gene may have one of three sequences, i.e., 5′-UAA, 5′-UAG and 5′-UGA (the corresponding DNA sequences are 5′-TAA, 5′-TAG and 5′-TGA, respectively). The terms “start codon region” and “translation initiation codon region” refer to a portion of such an mRNA or gene that encompasses from about 25 to about 50 contiguous nucleotides in either direction (i.e., 5′ or 3′) from a translation initiation codon. Similarly, the terms “stop codon region” and “translation termination codon region” refer to a portion of such an mRNA or gene that encompasses from about 25 to about 50 contiguous nucleotides in either direction (i.e., 5′ or 3′) from a translation termination codon.

[0016] The open reading frame (ORF) or “coding region,” which is known in the art to refer to the region between the translation initiation codon and the translation termination codon, is also a region which may be targeted effectively. Other target regions include the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR), known in the art to refer to the portion of an mRNA in the 5′ direction from the translation initiation codon, and thus including nucleotides between the 5′ cap site and the translation initiation codon of an mRNA or corresponding nucleotides on the gene, and the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR), known in the art to refer to the portion of an mRNA in the 3′ direction from the translation termination codon, and thus including nucleotides between the translation termination codon and 3′ end of an mRNA or corresponding nucleotides on the gene. The 5′ cap of an mRNA comprises an N7-methylated guanosine residue joined to the 5′-most residue of the mRNA via a 5′-5′ triphosphate linkage. The 5′ cap region of an mRNA is considered to include the 5′ cap structure itself as well as the first 50 nucleotides adjacent to the cap. The 5′ cap region may also be a preferred target region.

[0017] Although some eukaryotic mRNA transcripts are directly translated, many contain one or more regions, known as “introns,” which are excised from a transcript before it is translated. The remaining (and therefore translated) regions are known as “exons” and are spliced together to form a continuous mRNA sequence. mRNA splice sites, i.e., intron-exon junctions, may also be preferred target regions, and are particularly useful in situations where aberrant splicing is implicated in disease, or where an overproduction of a particular mRNA splice product is implicated in disease. Aberrant fusion junctions due to rearrangements or deletions are also preferred targets. mRNA transcripts produced via the process of splicing of two (or more) mRNAs from different gene sources are known as “fusion transcripts”. It has also been found that introns can be effective, and therefore preferred, target regions for antisense compounds targeted, for example, to DNA or pre-mRNA.

[0018] It is also known in the art that alternative RNA transcripts can be produced from the same genomic region of DNA. These alternative transcripts are generally known as “variants”. More specifically, “pre-mRNA variants” are transcripts produced from the same genomic DNA that differ from other transcripts produced from the same genomic DNA in either their start or stop position and contain both intronic and extronic regions.

[0019] Upon excision of one or more exon or intron regions or portions thereof during splicing, pre-mRNA variants produce smaller “mRNA variants”. Consequently, mRNA variants are processed pre-mRNA variants and each unique pre-mRNA variant must always produce a unique mRNA variant as a result of splicing. These mRNA variants are also known as “alternative splice variants”. If no splicing of the pre-mRNA variant occurs then the pre-mRNA variant is identical to the mRNA variant.

[0020] It is also known in the art that variants can be produced through the use of alternative signals to start or stop transcription and that pre-mRNAs and mRNAs can possess more that one start codon or stop codon. Variants that originate from a pre-mRNA or mRNA that use alternative start codons are known as “alternative start variants” of that pre-mRNA or mRNA. Those transcripts that use an alternative stop codon are known as “alternative stop variants” of that pre-mRNA or mRNA. One specific type of alternative stop variant is the “polyA variant” in which the multiple transcripts produced result from the alternative selection of one of the “polyA stop signals” by the transcription machinery, thereby producing transcripts that terminate at unique polyA sites.

[0021] Once one or more target sites have been identified, oligonucleotides are chosen which are sufficiently complementary to the target, i.e., hybridize sufficiently well and with sufficient specificity, to give the desired effect.

[0022] In the context of this invention, “hybridization” means hydrogen bonding, which may be Watson-Crick, Hoogsteen or reversed Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding, between complementary nucleoside or nucleotide bases. For example, adenine and thymine are complementary nucleobases which pair through the formation of hydrogen bonds. “Complementary,” as used herein, refers to the capacity for precise pairing between two nucleotides. For example, if a nucleotide at a certain position of an oligonucleotide is capable of hydrogen bonding with a nucleotide at the same position of a DNA or RNA molecule, then the oligonucleotide and the DNA or RNA are considered to be complementary to each other at that position. The oligonucleotide and the DNA or RNA are complementary to each other when a sufficient number of corresponding positions in each molecule are occupied by nucleotides which can hydrogen bond with each other. Thus, “specifically hybridizable” and “complementary” are terms which are used to indicate a sufficient degree of complementarity or precise pairing such that stable and specific binding occurs between the oligonucleotide and the DNA or RNA target. It is understood in the art that the sequence of an antisense compound need not be 100% complementary to that of its target nucleic acid to be specifically hybridizable.

[0023] An antisense compound is specifically hybridizable when binding of the compound to the target DNA or RNA molecule interferes with the normal function of the target DNA or RNA to cause a loss of activity, and there is a sufficient degree of complementarity to avoid non-specific binding of the antisense compound to non-target sequences under conditions in which specific binding is desired, i.e., under physiological conditions in the case of in vivo assays or therapeutic treatment, and in the case of in vitro assays, under conditions in which the assays are performed. It is preferred that the antisense compounds of the present invention comprise at least 80% sequence complementarity to a target region within the target nucleic acid, moreover that they comprise 90% sequence complementarity and even more comprise 95% sequence complementarity to the target region within the target nucleic acid sequence to which they are targeted. For example, an antisense compound in which 18 of 20 nucleobases of the antisense compound are complementary, and would therefore specifically hybridize, to a target region would represent 90 percent complementarity. Percent complementarity of an antisense compound with a region of a target nucleic acid can be determined routinely using basic local alignment search tools (BLAST programs) (Altschul et al., J. Mol. Biol., 1990, 215, 403-410; Zhang and Madden, Genome Res., 1997, 7, 649-656).

[0024] Antisense and other compounds of the invention, which hybridize to the target and inhibit expression of the target, are identified through experimentation, and representative sequences of these compounds are hereinbelow identified as preferred embodiments of the invention. The sites to which these preferred antisense compounds are specifically hybridizable are hereinbelow referred to as “preferred target regions” and are therefore preferred sites for targeting. As used herein the term “preferred target region” is defined as at least an 8-nucleobase portion of a target region to which an active antisense compound is targeted. While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is presently believed that these target regions represent regions of the target nucleic acid which are accessible for hybridization.

[0025] While the specific sequences of particular preferred target regions are set forth below, one of skill in the art will recognize that these serve to illustrate and describe particular embodiments within the scope of the present invention. Additional preferred target regions may be identified by one having ordinary skill.

[0026] Target regions 8-80 nucleobases in length comprising a stretch of at least eight (8) consecutive nucleobases selected from within the illustrative preferred target regions are considered to be suitable preferred target regions as well.

[0027] Exemplary good preferred target regions include DNA or RNA sequences that comprise at least the 8 consecutive nucleobases from the 5′-terminus of one of the illustrative preferred target regions (the remaining nucleobases being a consecutive stretch of the same DNA or RNA beginning immediately upstream of the 5′-terminus of the target region and continuing until the DNA or RNA contains about 8 to about 80 nucleobases). Similarly good preferred target regions are represented by DNA or RNA sequences that comprise at least the 8 consecutive nucleobases from the 3′-terminus of one of the illustrative preferred target regions (the remaining nucleobases being a consecutive stretch of the same DNA or RNA beginning immediately downstream of the 3′-terminus of the target region and continuing until the DNA or RNA contains about 8 to about 80 nucleobases). One having skill in the art, once armed with the empirically-derived preferred target regions illustrated herein will be able, without undue experimentation, to identify further preferred target regions. In addition, one having ordinary skill in the art will also be able to identify additional compounds, including oligonucleotide probes and primers, that specifically hybridize to these preferred target regions using techniques available to the ordinary practitioner in the art.

[0028] Antisense compounds are commonly used as research reagents and diagnostics. For example, antisense oligonucleotides, which are able to inhibit gene expression with exquisite specificity, are often used by those of ordinary skill to elucidate the function of particular genes. Antisense compounds are also used, for example, to distinguish between functions of various members of a biological pathway. Antisense modulation has, therefore, been harnessed for research use.

[0029] For use in kits and diagnostics, the antisense compounds of the present invention, either alone or in combination with other antisense compounds or therapeutics, can be used as tools in differential and/or combinatorial analyses to elucidate expression patterns of a portion or the entire complement of genes expressed within cells and tissues.

[0030] Expression patterns within cells or tissues treated with one or more antisense compounds are compared to control cells or tissues not treated with antisense compounds and the patterns produced are analyzed for differential levels of gene expression as they pertain, for example, to disease association, signaling pathway, cellular localization, expression level, size, structure or function of the genes examined. These analyses can be performed on stimulated or unstimulated cells and in the presence or absence of other compounds which affect expression patterns.

[0031] Examples of methods of gene expression analysis known in the art include DNA arrays or microarrays (Brazma and Vilo, FEBS Lett., 2000, 480, 17-24; Celis, et al., FEBS Lett., 2000, 480, 2-16), SAGE (serial analysis of gene expression)(Madden, et al., Drug Discov. Today, 2000, 5, 415-425), READS (restriction enzyme amplification of digested cDNAs) (Prashar and Weissman, Methods Enzymol., 1999, 303, 258-72), TOGA (total gene expression analysis) (Sutcliffe, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2000, 97, 1976-81), protein arrays and proteomics (Celis, et al., FEBS Lett., 2000, 480, 2-16; Jungblut, et al., Electrophoresis, 1999, 20, 2100-10), expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing (Celis, et al., FEBS Lett., 2000, 480, 2-16; Larsson, et al., J. Biotechnol., 2000, 80, 143-57), subtractive RNA fingerprinting (SuRF) (Fuchs, et al., Anal. Biochem., 2000, 286, 91-98; Larson, et al., Cytometry, 2000, 41, 203-208), subtractive cloning, differential display (DD) (Jurecic and Belmont, Curr. Opin. Microbiol., 2000, 3, 316-21), comparative genomic hybridization (Carulli, et al., J. Cell Biochem. Suppl., 1998, 31, 286-96), FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridization) techniques (Going and Gusterson, Eur. J. Cancer, 1999, 35, 1895-904) and mass spectrometry methods (reviewed in To, Comb. Chem. High Throughput Screen, 2000, 3, 235-41).

[0032] The specificity and sensitivity of antisense is also harnessed by those of skill in the art for therapeutic uses. Antisense oligonucleotides have been employed as therapeutic moieties in the treatment of disease states in animals and man. Antisense oligonucleotide drugs, including ribozymes, have been safely and effectively administered to humans and numerous clinical trials are presently underway. It is thus established that oligonucleotides can be useful therapeutic modalities that can be configured to be useful in treatment regimes for treatment of cells, tissues and animals, especially humans.

[0033] In the context of this invention, the term “oligonucleotide” refers to an oligomer or polymer of ribonucleic acid (RNA) or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or mimetics thereof. This term includes oligonucleotides composed of naturally-occurring nucleobases, sugars and covalent internucleoside (backbone) linkages as well as oligonucleotides having non-naturally-occurring portions which function similarly. Such modified or substituted oligonucleotides are often preferred over native forms because of desirable properties such as, for example, enhanced cellular uptake, enhanced affinity for nucleic acid target and increased stability in the presence of nucleases.

[0034] While antisense oligonucleotides are a preferred form of antisense compound, the present invention comprehends other oligomeric antisense compounds, including but not limited to oligonucleotide mimetics such as are described below. The antisense compounds in accordance with this invention preferably comprise from about 8 to about 80 nucleobases (i.e. from about 8 to about 80 linked nucleosides). Particularly preferred antisense compounds are antisense oligonucleotides from about 8 to about 50 nucleobases, even more preferably those comprising from about 12 to about 30 nucleobases. Antisense compounds include ribozymes, external guide sequence (EGS) oligonucleotides (oligozymes), and other short catalytic RNAs or catalytic oligonucleotides which hybridize to the target nucleic acid and modulate its expression.

[0035] Antisense compounds 8-80 nucleobases in length comprising a stretch of at least eight (8) consecutive nucleobases selected from within the illustrative antisense compounds are considered to be suitable antisense compounds as well.

[0036] Exemplary preferred antisense compounds include DNA or RNA sequences that comprise at least the 8 consecutive nucleobases from the 5′-terminus of one of the illustrative preferred antisense compounds (the remaining nucleobases being a consecutive stretch of the same DNA or RNA beginning immediately upstream of the 5′-terminus of the antisense compound which is specifically hybridizable to the target nucleic acid and continuing until the DNA or RNA contains about 8 to about 80 nucleobases). Similarly preferred antisense compounds are represented by DNA or RNA sequences that comprise at least the 8 consecutive nucleobases from the 3′-terminus of one of the illustrative preferred antisense compounds (the remaining nucleobases being a consecutive stretch of the same DNA or RNA beginning immediately downstream of the 3′-terminus of the antisense compound which is specifically hybridizable to the target nucleic acid and continuing until the DNA or RNA contains about 8 to about 80 nucleobases). One having skill in the art, once armed with the empirically-derived preferred antisense compounds illustrated herein will be able, without undue experimentation, to identify further preferred antisense compounds. Antisense and other compounds of the invention, which hybridize to the target and inhibit expression of the target, are identified through experimentation, and representative sequences of these compounds are herein identified as preferred embodiments of the invention. While specific sequences of the antisense compounds are set forth herein, one of skill in the art will recognize that these serve to illustrate and describe particular embodiments within the scope of the present invention. Additional preferred antisense compounds may be identified by one having ordinary skill.

[0037] As is known in the art, a nucleoside is a base-sugar combination. The base portion of the nucleoside is normally a heterocyclic base. The two most common classes of such heterocyclic bases are the purines and the pyrimidines. Nucleotides are nucleosides that further include a phosphate group covalently linked to the sugar portion of the nucleoside. For those nucleosides that include a pentofuranosyl sugar, the phosphate group can be linked to either the 2′, 3′ or 5′ hydroxyl moiety of the sugar. In forming oligonucleotides, the phosphate groups covalently link adjacent nucleosides to one another to form a linear polymeric compound. In turn, the respective ends of this linear polymeric structure can be further joined to form a circular structure, however, open linear structures are generally preferred. In addition, linear structures may also have internal nucleobase complementarity and may therefore fold in a manner as to produce a double stranded structure. Within the oligonucleotide structure, the phosphate groups are commonly referred to as forming the internucleoside backbone of the oligonucleotide. The normal linkage or backbone of RNA and DNA is a 3′ to 5′ phosphodiester linkage.

[0038] Specific examples of preferred antisense compounds useful in this invention include oligonucleotides containing modified backbones or non-natural internucleoside linkages. As defined in this specification, oligonucleotides having modified backbones include those that retain a phosphorus atom in the backbone and those that do not have a phosphorus atom in the backbone. For the purposes of this specification, and as sometimes referenced in the art, modified oligonucleotides that do not have a phosphorus atom in their internucleoside backbone can also be considered to be oligonucleosides.

[0039] Preferred modified oligonucleotide backbones include, for example, phosphorothioates, chiral phosphorothioates, phosphorodithioates, phosphotriesters, aminoalkylphosphotriesters, methyl and other alkyl phosphonates including 3′-alkylene phosphonates, 5′-alkylene phosphonates and chiral phosphonates, phosphinates, phosphoramidates including 3′-amino phosphoramidate and aminoalkylphosphoramidates, thionophosphoramidates, thionoalkylphosphonates, thionoalkylphosphotriesters, selenophosphates and boranophosphates having normal 3′-5′ linkages, 2′-5′ linked analogs of these, and those having inverted polarity wherein one or more internucleotide linkages is a 3′ to 3′, 5′ to 5′ or 2′ to 2′ linkage. Preferred oligonucleotides having inverted polarity comprise a single 3′ to 3′ linkage at the 3′-most internucleotide linkage i.e. a single inverted nucleoside residue which may be a basic (the nucleobase is missing or has a hydroxyl group in place thereof). Various salts, mixed salts and free acid forms are also included.

[0040] Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of the above phosphorus-containing linkages include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,687,808; 4,469,863; 4,476,301; 5,023,243; 5,177,196; 5,188,897; 5,264,423; 5,276,019; 5,278,302; 5,286,717; 5,321,131; 5,399,676; 5,405,939; 5,453,496; 5,455,233; 5,466,677; 5,476,925; 5,519,126; 5,536,821; 5,541,306; 5,550,111; 5,563,253; 5,571,799; 5,587,361; 5,194,599; 5,565,555; 5,527,899; 5,721,218; 5,672,697 and 5,625,050, certain of which are commonly owned with this application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference.

[0041] Preferred modified oligonucleotide backbones that do not include a phosphorus atom therein have backbones that are formed by short chain alkyl or cycloalkyl internucleoside linkages, mixed heteroatom and alkyl or cycloalkyl internucleoside linkages, or one or more short chain heteroatomic or heterocyclic internucleoside linkages. These include those having morpholino linkages (formed in part from the sugar portion of a nucleoside); siloxane backbones; sulfide, sulfoxide and sulfone backbones; formacetyl and thioformacetyl backbones; methylene formacetyl and thioformacetyl backbones; riboacetyl backbones; alkene containing backbones; sulfamate backbones; methyleneimino and methylenehydrazino backbones; sulfonate and sulfonamide backbones; amide backbones; and others having mixed N, O, S and CH₂ component parts.

[0042] Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of the above oligonucleosides include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,034,506; 5,166,315; 5,185,444; 5,214,134; 5,216,141; 5,235,033; 5,264,562; 5,264,564; 5,405,938; 5,434,257; 5,466,677; 5,470,967; 5,489,677; 5,541,307; 5,561,225; 5,596,086; 5,602,240; 5,610,289; 5,602,240; 5,608,046; 5,610,289; 5,618,704; 5,623,070; 5,663,312; 5,633,360; 5,677,437; 5,792,608; 5,646,269 and 5,677,439, certain of which are commonly owned with this application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference.

[0043] In other preferred oligonucleotide mimetics, both the sugar and the internucleoside linkage, i.e., the backbone, of the nucleotide units are replaced with novel groups. The base units are maintained for hybridization with an appropriate nucleic acid target compound. One such oligomeric compound, an oligonucleotide mimetic that has been shown to have excellent hybridization properties, is referred to as a peptide nucleic acid (PNA). In PNA compounds, the sugar-backbone of an oligonucleotide is replaced with an amide containing backbone, in particular an aminoethylglycine backbone. The nucleobases are retained and are bound directly or indirectly to aza nitrogen atoms of the amide portion of the backbone. Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of PNA compounds include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,082; 5,714,331; and 5,719,262, each of which is herein incorporated by reference. Further teaching of PNA compounds can be found in Nielsen et al., Science, 1991, 254, 1497-1500.

[0044] Most preferred embodiments of the invention are oligonucleotides with phosphorothioate backbones and oligonucleosides with heteroatom backbones, and in particular —CH₂—NH—O—CH₂—, —CH₂—N(CH₃)—O—CH₂— [known as a methylene (methylimino) or MMI backbone], —CH₂—O—N(CH₃)—CH₂—, —CH₂—N(CH₃)—N(CH₃)—CH₂— and —O—N(CH₃)—CH₂—CH₂— [wherein the native phosphodiester backbone is represented as —O—P—O—CH₂—] of the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,677, and the amide backbones of the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,240. Also preferred are oligonucleotides having morpholino backbone structures of the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,506.

[0045] Modified oligonucleotides may also contain one or more substituted sugar moieties. Preferred oligonucleotides comprise one of the following at the 2′ position: OH; F; O—, S—, or N-alkyl; O—, S—, or N-alkenyl; O—, S— or N-alkynyl; or O-alkyl-O-alkyl, wherein the alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl may be substituted or unsubstituted C₁ to C₁₀ alkyl or C₂ to C₁₀ alkenyl and alkynyl. Particularly preferred are O[(CH₂)_(n)O]_(m)CH₃, O(CH₂)_(n)OCH₃, O(CH₂)_(n)NH₂, O(CH₂)_(n)CH₃, O(CH₂)_(n)ONH₂, and O(CH₂)_(n)ON[(CH₂)_(n)CH₃]₂, where n and m are from 1 to about 10. Other preferred oligonucleotides comprise one of the following at the 2′ position: C₁ to C₁₀ lower alkyl, substituted lower alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkaryl, aralkyl, O-alkaryl or O-aralkyl, SH, SCH₃, OCN, Cl, Br, CN, CF₃, OCF₃, SOCH₃, SO₂CH₃, ONO₂, NO₂, N₃, NH₂, heterocycloalkyl, heterocycloalkaryl, aminoalkylamino, polyalkylamino, substituted silyl, an RNA cleaving group, a reporter group, an intercalator, a group for improving the pharmacokinetic properties of an oligonucleotide, or a group for improving the pharmacodynamic properties of an oligonucleotide, and other substituents having similar properties. A preferred modification includes 2′-methoxyethoxy (2′-O—CH₂CH₂OCH₃, also known as 2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl) or 2′-MOE) (Martin et al., Helv. Chim. Acta, 1995, 78, 486-504) i.e., an alkoxyalkoxy group. A further preferred modification includes 2′-dimethylaminooxyethoxy, i.e., a O(CH₂)₂ON(CH₃)₂ group, also known as 2′-DMAOE, as described in examples hereinbelow, and 2′-dimethylamino-ethoxyethoxy (also known in the art as 2′-O-dimethyl-amino-ethoxy-ethyl or 2′-DMAEOE), i.e., 2′-O—CH₂—O—CH₂—N(CH₃)₂, also described in examples hereinbelow.

[0046] Other preferred modifications include 2′-methoxy (2′-O—CH₃), 2′-aminopropoxy (2′-OCH₂CH₂CH₂NH₂), 2′-allyl (2′-CH₂—CH═CH₂), 2′-O-allyl (2′-O—CH₂—CH═CH₂) and 2′-fluoro (2′-F). The 2′-modification may be in the arabino (up) position or ribo (down) position. A preferred 2′-arabino modification is 2′-F. Similar modifications may also be made at other positions on the oligonucleotide, particularly the 3′ position of the sugar on the 3′ terminal nucleotide or in 2′-5′ linked oligonucleotides and the 5′ position of 5′ terminal nucleotide. Oligonucleotides may also have sugar mimetics such as cyclobutyl moieties in place of the pentofuranosyl sugar. Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of such modified sugar structures include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,981,957; 5,118,800; 5,319,080; 5,359,044; 5,393,878; 5,446,137; 5,466,786; 5,514,785; 5,519,134; 5,567,811; 5,576,427; 5,591,722; 5,597,909; 5,610,300; 5,627,053; 5,639,873; 5,646,265; 5,658,873; 5,670,633; 5,792,747; and 5,700,920, certain of which are commonly owned with the instant application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0047] A further preferred modification includes Locked Nucleic Acids (LNAs) in which the 2′-hydroxyl group is linked to the 3′ or 4′ carbon atom of the sugar ring thereby forming a bicyclic sugar moiety. The linkage is preferably a methelyne (—CH₂—)_(n) group bridging the 2′ oxygen atom and the 4′ carbon atom wherein n is 1 or 2. LNAs and preparation thereof are described in WO 98/39352 and WO 99/14226.

[0048] Oligonucleotides may also include nucleobase (often referred to in the art simply as “base”) modifications or substitutions. As used herein, “unmodified” or “natural” nucleobases include the purine bases adenine (A) and guanine (G), and the pyrimidine bases thymine (T), cytosine (C) and uracil (U). Modified nucleobases include other synthetic and natural nucleobases such as 5-methylcytosine (5-me-C), 5-hydroxymethyl cytosine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, 2-aminoadenine, 6-methyl and other alkyl derivatives of adenine and guanine, 2-propyl and other alkyl derivatives of adenine and guanine, 2-thiouracil, 2-thiothymine and 2-thiocytosine, 5-halouracil and cytosine, 5-propynyl (—C≡C—CH₃) uracil and cytosine and other alkynyl derivatives of pyrimidine bases, 6-azo uracil, cytosine and thymine, 5-uracil (pseudouracil), 4-thiouracil, 8-halo, 8-amino, 8-thiol, 8-thioalkyl, 8-hydroxyl and other 8-substituted adenines and guanines, 5-halo particularly 5-bromo, 5-trifluoromethyl and other 5-substituted uracils and cytosines, 7-methylguanine and 7-methyladenine, 2-F-adenine, 2-amino-adenine, 8-azaguanine and 8-azaadenine, 7-deazaguanine and 7-deazaadenine and 3-deazaguanine and 3-deazaadenine. Further modified nucleobases include tricyclic pyrimidines such as phenoxazine cytidine(1H-pyrimido[5,4-b][1,4]benzoxazin-2(3H)-one), phenothiazine cytidine (1H-pyrimido[5,4-b][1,4]benzothiazin-2(3H)-one), G-clamps such as a substituted phenoxazine cytidine (e.g. 9-(2-aminoethoxy)-H-pyrimido[5,4-b][1,4]benzoxazin-2(3H)-one), carbazole cytidine (2H-pyrimido[4,5-b]indol-2-one), pyridoindole cytidine (H-pyrido[3′,2′:4,5]pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-2-one). Modified nucleobases may also include those in which the purine or pyrimidine base is replaced with other heterocycles, for example 7-deaza-adenine, 7-deazaguanosine, 2-aminopyridine and 2-pyridone. Further nucleobases include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,808, those disclosed in The Concise Encyclopedia Of Polymer Science And Engineering, pages 858-859, Kroschwitz, J. I., ed. John Wiley & Sons, 1990, those disclosed by Englisch et al., Angewandte Chemie, International Edition, 1991, 30, 613, and those disclosed by Sanghvi, Y. S., Chapter 15, Antisense Research and Applications, pages 289-302, Crooke, S. T. and Lebleu, B. ed., CRC Press, 1993. Certain of these nucleobases are particularly useful for increasing the binding affinity of the oligomeric compounds of the invention. These include 5-substituted pyrimidines, 6-azapyrimidines and N-2, N-6 and O-6 substituted purines, including 2-aminopropyladenine, 5-propynyluracil and 5-propynylcytosine. 5-methylcytosine substitutions have been shown to increase nucleic acid duplex stability by 0.6-1.2° C. (Sanghvi, Y. S., Crooke, S. T. and Lebleu, B., eds., Antisense Research and Applications, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1993, pp. 276-278) and are presently preferred base substitutions, even more particularly when combined with 2′-O-methoxyethyl sugar modifications.

[0049] Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of certain of the above noted modified nucleobases as well as other modified nucleobases include, but are not limited to, the above noted U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,808, as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,845,205; 5,130,302; 5,134,066; 5,175,273; 5,367,066; 5,432,272; 5,457,187; 5,459,255; 5,484,908; 5,502,177; 5,525,711; 5,552,540; 5,587,469; 5,594,121, 5,596,091; 5,614,617; 5,645,985; 5,830,653; 5,763,588; 6,005,096; and 5,681,941, certain of which are commonly owned with the instant application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,692, which is commonly owned with the instant application and also herein incorporated by reference.

[0050] Another modification of the oligonucleotides of the invention involves chemically linking to the oligonucleotide one or more moieties or conjugates which enhance the activity, cellular distribution or cellular uptake of the oligonucleotide. The compounds of the invention can include conjugate groups covalently bound to functional groups such as primary or secondary hydroxyl groups. Conjugate groups of the invention include inter-calators, reporter molecules, polyamines, polyamides, polyethylene glycols, polyethers, groups that enhance the pharmacodynamic properties of oligomers, and groups that enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of oligomers. Typical conjugate groups include cholesterols, lipids, phospholipids, biotin, phenazine, folate, phenanthridine, anthraquinone, acridine, fluoresceins, rhodamines, coumarins, and dyes. Groups that enhance the pharmacodynamic properties, in the context of this invention, include groups that improve oligomer uptake, enhance oligomer resistance to degradation, and/or strengthen sequence-specific hybridization with RNA. Groups that enhance the pharmacokinetic properties, in the context of this invention, include groups that improve oligomer uptake, distribution, metabolism or excretion. Representative conjugate groups are disclosed in International Patent Application PCT/US92/09196, filed Oct. 23, 1992 the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Conjugate moieties include but are not limited to lipid moieties such as a cholesterol moiety (Letsinger et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1989, 86, 6553-6556), cholic acid (Manoharan et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Let., 1994, 4, 1053-1060), a thioether, e.g., hexyl-S-tritylthiol (Manoharan et al., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1992, 660, 306-309; Manoharan et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Let., 1993, 3, 2765-2770), a thiocholesterol (Oberhauser et al., Nucl. Acids Res., 1992, 20, 533-538), an aliphatic chain, e.g., dodecandiol or undecyl residues (Saison-Behmoaras et al., EMBO J., 1991, 10, 1111-1118; Kabanov et al., FEBS Lett., 1990, 259, 327-330; Svinarchuk et al., Biochimie, 1993, 75, 49-54), a phospholipid, e.g., di-hexadecyl-rac-glycerol or triethylammonium 1,2-di-O-hexadecyl-rac-glycero-3-H-phosphonate (Manoharan et al., Tetrahedron Lett., 1995, 36, 3651-3654; Shea et al., Nucl. Acids Res., 1990, 18, 3777-3783), a polyamine or a polyethylene glycol chain (Manoharan et al., Nucleosides & Nucleotides, 1995, 14, 969-973), or adamantane acetic acid (Manoharan et al., Tetrahedron Lett., 1995, 36, 3651-3654), a palmityl moiety (Mishra et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1995, 1264, 229-237), or an octadecylamine or hexylaminocarbonyl-oxycholesterol moiety (Crooke et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 1996, 277, 923-937). Oligonucleotides of the invention may also be conjugated to active drug substances, for example, aspirin, warfarin, phenylbutazone, ibuprofen, suprofen, fenbufen, ketoprofen, (S)-(+)-pranoprofen, carprofen, dansylsarcosine, 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid, flufenamic acid, folinic acid, a benzothiadiazide, chlorothiazide, a diazepine, indomethicin, a barbiturate, a cephalosporin, a sulfa drug, an antidiabetic, an antibacterial or an antibiotic. Oligonucleotide-drug conjugates and their preparation are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/334,130 (filed Jun. 15, 1999) which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0051] Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of such oligonucleotide conjugates include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,828,979; 4,948,882; 5,218,105; 5,525,465; 5,541,313; 5,545,730; 5,552,538; 5,578,717, 5,580,731; 5,580,731; 5,591,584; 5,109,124; 5,118,802; 5,138,045; 5,414,077; 5,486,603; 5,512,439; 5,578,718; 5,608,046; 4,587,044; 4,605,735; 4,667,025; 4,762,779; 4,789,737; 4,824,941; 4,835,263; 4,876,335; 4,904,582; 4,958,013; 5,082,830; 5,112,963; 5,214,136; 5,082,830; 5,112,963; 5,214,136; 5,245,022; 5,254,469; 5,258,506; 5,262,536; 5,272,250; 5,292,873; 5,317,098; 5,371,241, 5,391,723; 5,416,203, 5,451,463; 5,510,475; 5,512,667; 5,514,785; 5,565,552; 5,567,810; 5,574,142; 5,585,481; 5,587,371; 5,595,726; 5,597,696; 5,599,923; 5,599,928 and 5,688,941, certain of which are commonly owned with the instant application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference.

[0052] It is not necessary for all positions in a given compound to be uniformly modified, and in fact more than one of the aforementioned modifications may be incorporated in a single compound or even at a single nucleoside within an oligonucleotide. The present invention also includes antisense compounds which are chimeric compounds. “Chimeric” antisense compounds or “chimeras,” in the context of this invention, are antisense compounds, particularly oligonucleotides, which contain two or more chemically distinct regions, each made up of at least one monomer unit, i.e., a nucleotide in the case of an oligonucleotide compound. These oligonucleotides typically contain at least one region wherein the oligonucleotide is modified so as to confer upon the oligonucleotide increased resistance to nuclease degradation, increased cellular uptake, increased stability and/or increased binding affinity for the target nucleic acid. An additional region of the oligonucleotide may serve as a substrate for enzymes capable of cleaving RNA:DNA or RNA:RNA hybrids. By way of example, RNAse H is a cellular endonuclease which cleaves the RNA strand of an RNA:DNA duplex. Activation of RNase H, therefore, results in cleavage of the RNA target, thereby greatly enhancing the efficiency of oligonucleotide inhibition of gene expression. The cleavage of RNA:RNA hybrids can, in like fashion, be accomplished through the actions of endoribonucleases, such as interferon-induced RNAseL which cleaves both cellular and viral RNA. Consequently, comparable results can often be obtained with shorter oligonucleotides when chimeric oligonucleotides are used, compared to phosphorothioate deoxyoligonucleotides hybridizing to the same target region. Cleavage of the RNA target can be routinely detected by gel electrophoresis and, if necessary, associated nucleic acid hybridization techniques known in the art.

[0053] Chimeric antisense compounds of the invention may be formed as composite structures of two or more oligonucleotides, modified oligonucleotides, oligonucleosides and/or oligonucleotide mimetics as described above. Such compounds have also been referred to in the art as hybrids or gapmers. Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of such hybrid structures include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,013,830; 5,149,797; 5,220,007; 5,256,775; 5,366,878; 5,403,711; 5,491,133; 5,565,350; 5,623,065; 5,652,355; 5,652,356; and 5,700,922, certain of which are commonly owned with the instant application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0054] The antisense compounds used in accordance with this invention may be conveniently and routinely made through the well-known technique of solid phase synthesis. Equipment for such synthesis is sold by several vendors including, for example, Applied Biosystems (Foster City, Calif.). Any other means for such synthesis known in the art may additionally or alternatively be employed. It is well known to use similar techniques to prepare oligonucleotides such as the phosphorothioates and alkylated derivatives.

[0055] The compounds of the invention may also be admixed, encapsulated, conjugated or otherwise associated with other molecules, molecule structures or mixtures of compounds, as for example, liposomes, receptor-targeted molecules, oral, rectal, topical or other formulations, for assisting in uptake, distribution and/or absorption. Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of such uptake, distribution and/or absorption-assisting formulations include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,108,921; 5,354,844; 5,416,016; 5,459,127; 5,521,291; 5,543,158; 5,547,932; 5,583,020; 5,591,721; 4,426,330; 4,534,899; 5,013,556; 5,108,921; 5,213,804; 5,227,170; 5,264,221; 5,356,633; 5,395,619; 5,416,016; 5,417,978; 5,462,854; 5,469,854; 5,512,295; 5,527,528; 5,534,259; 5,543,152; 5,556,948; 5,580,575; and 5,595,756, each of which is herein incorporated by reference.

[0056] The antisense compounds of the invention encompass any pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, or salts of such esters, or any other compound which, upon administration to an animal, including a human, is capable of providing (directly or indirectly) the biologically active metabolite or residue thereof. Accordingly, for example, the disclosure is also drawn to prodrugs and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of the invention, pharmaceutically acceptable salts of such prodrugs, and other bioequivalents.

[0057] The term “prodrug” indicates a therapeutic agent that is prepared in an inactive form that is converted to an active form (i.e., drug) within the body or cells thereof by the action of endogenous enzymes or other chemicals and/or conditions. In particular, prodrug versions of the oligonucleotides of the invention are prepared as SATE [(S-acetyl-2-thioethyl) phosphate] derivatives according to the methods disclosed in WO 93/24510 to Gosselin et al., published Dec. 9, 1993 or in WO 94/26764 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,713 to Imbach et al.

[0058] The term “pharmaceutically acceptable salts” refers to physiologically and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of the invention: i.e., salts that retain the desired biological activity of the parent compound and do not impart undesired toxicological effects thereto.

[0059] Pharmaceutically acceptable base addition salts are formed with metals or amines, such as alkali and alkaline earth metals or organic amines. Examples of metals used as cations are sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and the like. Examples of suitable amines are N,N′-dibenzylethylenediamine, chloroprocaine, choline, diethanolamine, dicyclohexylamine, ethylenediamine, N-methylglucamine, and procaine (see, for example, Berge et al., “Pharmaceutical Salts,” J. of Pharma Sci., 1977, 66, 1-19). The base addition salts of said acidic compounds are prepared by contacting the free acid form with a sufficient amount of the desired base to produce the salt in the conventional manner. The free acid form may be regenerated by contacting the salt form with an acid and isolating the free acid in the conventional manner. The free acid forms differ from their respective salt forms somewhat in certain physical properties such as solubility in polar solvents, but otherwise the salts are equivalent to their respective free acid for purposes of the present invention. As used herein, a “pharmaceutical addition salt” includes a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of an acid form of one of the components of the compositions of the invention. These include organic or inorganic acid salts of the amines. Preferred acid salts are the hydrochlorides, acetates, salicylates, nitrates and phosphates. Other suitable pharmaceutically acceptable salts are well known to those skilled in the art and include basic salts of a variety of inorganic and organic acids, such as, for example, with inorganic acids, such as for example hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid; with organic carboxylic, sulfonic, sulfo or phospho acids or N-substituted sulfamic acids, for example acetic acid, propionic acid, glycolic acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, hydroxymaleic acid, methylmaleic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, gluconic acid, glucaric acid, glucuronic acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, mandelic acid, salicylic acid, 4-aminosalicylic acid, 2-phenoxybenzoic acid, 2-acetoxybenzoic acid, embonic acid, nicotinic acid or isonicotinic acid; and with amino acids, such as the 20 alpha-amino acids involved in the synthesis of proteins in nature, for example glutamic acid or aspartic acid, and also with phenylacetic acid, methanesulfonic acid, ethanesulfonic acid, 2-hydroxyethanesulfonic acid, ethane-1,2-disulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, 4-methylbenzenesulfonic acid, naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid, naphthalene-1,5-disulfonic acid, 2- or 3-phosphoglycerate, glucose-6-phosphate, N-cyclohexylsulfamic acid (with the formation of cyclamates), or with other acid organic compounds, such as ascorbic acid. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts of compounds may also be prepared with a pharmaceutically acceptable cation. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable cations are well known to those skilled in the art and include alkaline, alkaline earth, ammonium and quaternary ammonium cations. Carbonates or hydrogen carbonates are also possible.

[0060] For oligonucleotides, preferred examples of pharmaceutically acceptable salts include but are not limited to (a) salts formed with cations such as sodium, potassium, ammonium, magnesium, calcium, polyamines such as spermine and spermidine, etc.; (b) acid addition salts formed with inorganic acids, for example hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid and the like; (c) salts formed with organic acids such as, for example, acetic acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, citric acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, tannic acid, palmitic acid, alginic acid, polyglutamic acid, naphthalenesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, naphthalenedisulfonic acid, polygalacturonic acid, and the like; and (d) salts formed from elemental anions such as chlorine, bromine, and iodine.

[0061] The antisense compounds of the present invention can be utilized for diagnostics, therapeutics, prophylaxis and as research reagents and kits. For therapeutics, an animal, preferably a human, suspected of having a disease or disorder which can be treated by modulating the expression of fatty acid synthase is treated by administering antisense compounds in accordance with this invention. The compounds of the invention can be utilized in pharmaceutical compositions by adding an effective amount of an antisense compound to a suitable pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier. Use of the antisense compounds and methods of the invention may also be useful prophylactically, e.g., to prevent or delay infection, inflammation or tumor formation, for example.

[0062] The antisense compounds of the invention are useful for research and diagnostics, because these compounds hybridize to nucleic acids encoding fatty acid synthase, enabling sandwich and other assays to easily be constructed to exploit this fact. Hybridization of the antisense oligonucleotides of the invention with a nucleic acid encoding fatty acid synthase can be detected by means known in the art. Such means may include conjugation of an enzyme to the oligonucleotide, radiolabelling of the oligonucleotide or any other suitable detection means. Kits using such detection means for detecting the level of fatty acid synthase in a sample may also be prepared.

[0063] The present invention also includes pharmaceutical compositions and formulations which include the antisense compounds of the invention. The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention may be administered in a number of ways depending upon whether local or systemic treatment is desired and upon the area to be treated. Administration may be topical (including ophthalmic and to mucous membranes including vaginal and rectal delivery), pulmonary, e.g., by inhalation or insufflation of powders or aerosols, including by nebulizer; intratracheal, intranasal, epidermal and transdermal), oral or parenteral. Parenteral administration includes intravenous, intraarterial, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal or intramuscular injection or infusion; or intracranial, e.g., intrathecal or intraventricular, administration. Oligonucleotides with at least one 2′-O-methoxyethyl modification are believed to be particularly useful for oral administration.

[0064] Pharmaceutical compositions and formulations for topical administration may include transdermal patches, ointments, lotions, creams, gels, drops, suppositories, sprays, liquids and powders. Conventional pharmaceutical carriers, aqueous, powder or oily bases, thickeners and the like may be necessary or desirable. Coated condoms, gloves and the like may also be useful. Preferred topical formulations include those in which the oligonucleotides of the invention are in admixture with a topical delivery agent such as lipids, liposomes, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, steroids, chelating agents and surfactants. Preferred lipids and liposomes include neutral (e.g. dioleoylphosphatidyl DOPE ethanolamine, dimyristoylphosphatidyl choline DMPC, distearolyphosphatidyl choline) negative (e.g. dimyristoylphosphatidyl glycerol DMPG) and cationic (e.g. dioleoyltetramethylaminopropyl DOTAP and dioleoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine DOTMA). Oligonucleotides of the invention may be encapsulated within liposomes or may form complexes thereto, in particular to cationic liposomes. Alternatively, oligonucleotides may be complexed totlipids, in particular to cationic lipids. Preferred fatty acids and esters include but are not limited arachidonic acid, oleic acid, eicosanoic acid, lauric acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, dicaprate, tricaprate, monoolein, dilaurin, glyceryl 1-monocaprate, 1-dodecylazacycloheptan-2-one, an acylcarnitine, an acylcholine, or a C₁₋₁₀ alkyl ester (e.g. isopropylmyristate IPM), monoglyceride, diglyceride or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. Topical formulations are described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/315,298 filed on May 20, 1999 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0065] Compositions and formulations for oral administration include powders or granules, microparticulates, nanoparticulates, suspensions or solutions in water or non-aqueous media, capsules, gel capsules, sachets, tablets or minitablets. Thickeners, flavoring agents, diluents, emulsifiers, dispersing aids or binders may be desirable. Preferred oral formulations are those in which oligonucleotides of the invention are administered in conjunction with one or more penetration enhancers surfactants and chelators. Preferred surfactants include fatty acids and/or esters or salts thereof, bile acids and/or salts thereof. Preferred bile acids/salts include chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and ursodeoxychenodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), cholic acid, dehydrocholic acid, deoxycholic acid, glucholic acid, glycholic acid, glycodeoxycholic acid, taurocholic acid, taurodeoxycholic acid, sodium tauro-24,25-dihydro-fusidate and sodium glycodihydrofusidate. Preferred fatty acids include arachidonic acid, undecanoic acid, oleic acid, lauric acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, dicaprate, tricaprate, monoolein, dilaurin, glyceryl 1-monocaprate, 1-dodecylazacycloheptan-2-one, an acylcarnitine, an acylcholine, or a monoglyceride, a diglyceride or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g. sodium). Also preferred are combinations of penetration enhancers, for example, fatty acids/salts in combination with bile acids/salts. A particularly preferred combination is the sodium salt of lauric acid, capric acid and UDCA. Further penetration enhancers include polyoxyethylene-9-lauryl ether, polyoxyethylene-20-cetyl ether. Oligonucleotides of the invention may be delivered orally, in granular form including sprayed dried particles, or complexed to form micro or nanoparticles. Oligonucleotide complexing agents include poly-amino acids; polyimines; polyacrylates; polyalkylacrylates, polyoxethanes, polyalkylcyanoacrylates; cationized gelatins, albumins, starches, acrylates, polyethyleneglycols (PEG) and starches; polyalkylcyanoacrylates; DEAE-derivatized polyimines, pollulans, celluloses and starches. Particularly preferred complexing agents include chitosan, N-trimethylchitosan, poly-L-lysine, polyhistidine, polyornithine, polyspermines, protamine, polyvinylpyridine, polythiodiethylamino-methylethylene P(TDAE), polyaminostyrene (e.g. p-amino), poly(methylcyanoacrylate), poly(ethylcyanoacrylate), poly(butylcyanoacrylate), poly(isobutylcyanoacrylate), poly(isohexylcynaoacrylate), DEAE-methacrylate, DEAE-hexylacrylate, DEAE-acrylamide, DEAE-albumin and DEAE-dextran, polymethylacrylate, polyhexylacrylate, poly(D,L-lactic acid), poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), alginate, and polyethyleneglycol (PEG). Oral formulations for oligonucleotides and their preparation are described in detail in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/886,829 (filed Jul. 1, 1997), Ser. No. 09/108,673 (filed Jul. 1, 1998), Ser. No. 09/256,515 (filed Feb. 23, 1999), Ser. No. 09/082,624 (filed May 21, 1998) and Ser. No. 09/315,298 (filed May 20, 1999), each of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0066] Compositions and formulations for parenteral, intrathecal or intraventricular administration may include sterile aqueous solutions which may also contain buffers, diluents and other suitable additives such as, but not limited to, penetration enhancers, carrier compounds and other pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients.

[0067] Pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention include, but are not limited to, solutions, emulsions, and liposome-containing formulations. These compositions may be generated from a variety of components that include, but are not limited to, preformed liquids, self-emulsifying solids and self-emulsifying semisolids.

[0068] The pharmaceutical formulations of the present invention, which may conveniently be presented in unit dosage form, may be prepared according to conventional techniques well known in the pharmaceutical industry. Such techniques include the step of bringing into association the active ingredients with the pharmaceutical carrier(s) or excipient(s). In general, the formulations are prepared by uniformly and intimately bringing into association the active ingredients with liquid carriers or finely divided solid carriers or both, and then, if necessary, shaping the product.

[0069] The compositions of the present invention may be formulated into any of many possible dosage forms such as, but not limited to, tablets, capsules, gel capsules, liquid syrups, soft gels, suppositories, and enemas. The compositions of the present invention may also be formulated as suspensions in aqueous, non-aqueous or mixed media. Aqueous suspensions may further contain substances which increase the viscosity of the suspension including, for example, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sorbitol and/or dextran. The suspension may also contain stabilizers.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present invention the pharmaceutical compositions may be formulated and used as foams. Pharmaceutical foams include formulations such as, but not limited to, emulsions, microemulsions, creams, jellies and liposomes. While basically similar in nature these formulations vary in the components and the consistency of the final product. The preparation of such compositions and formulations is generally known to those skilled in the pharmaceutical and formulation arts and may be applied to the formulation of the compositions of the present invention.

[0071] Emulsions

[0072] The compositions of the present invention may be prepared and formulated as emulsions. Emulsions are typically heterogenous systems of one liquid dispersed in another in the form of droplets usually exceeding 0.1 μm in diameter (Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199; Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., Volume 1, p. 245; Block in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 2, p. 335; Higuchi et al., in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., 1985, p. 301). Emulsions are often biphasic systems comprising two immiscible liquid phases intimately mixed and dispersed with each other. In general, emulsions may be of either the water-in-oil (w/o) or the oil-in-water (o/w) variety. When an aqueous phase is finely divided into and dispersed as minute droplets into a bulk oily phase, the resulting composition is called a water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion. Alternatively, when an oily phase is finely divided into and dispersed as minute droplets into a bulk aqueous phase, the resulting composition is called an oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion. Emulsions may contain additional components in addition to the dispersed phases, and the active drug which may be present as a solution in either the aqueous phase, oily phase or itself as a separate phase. Pharmaceutical excipients such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, dyes, and anti-oxidants may also be present in emulsions as needed. Pharmaceutical emulsions may also be multiple emulsions that are comprised of more than two phases such as, for example, in the case of oil-in-water-in-oil (o/w/o) and water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) emulsions. Such complex formulations often provide certain advantages that simple binary emulsions do not. Multiple emulsions in which individual oil droplets of an o/w emulsion enclose small water droplets constitute a w/o/w emulsion. Likewise a system of oil droplets enclosed in globules of water stabilized in an oily continuous phase provides an o/w/o emulsion.

[0073] Emulsions are characterized by little or no thermodynamic stability. Often, the dispersed or discontinuous phase of the emulsion is well dispersed into the external or continuous phase and maintained in this form through the means of emulsifiers or the viscosity of the formulation. Either of the phases of the emulsion may be a semisolid or a solid, as is the case of emulsion-style ointment bases and creams. Other means of stabilizing emulsions entail the use of emulsifiers that may be incorporated into either phase of the emulsion. Emulsifiers may broadly be classified into four categories: synthetic surfactants, naturally occurring emulsifiers, absorption bases, and finely dispersed solids (Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199).

[0074] Synthetic surfactants, also known as surface active agents, have found wide applicability in the formulation of emulsions and have been reviewed in the literature (Rieger, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 285; Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1988, volume 1, p. 199). Surfactants are typically amphiphilic and comprise a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic portion. The ratio of the hydrophilic to the hydrophobic nature of the surfactant has been termed the hydrophile/lipophile balance (HLB) and is a valuable tool in categorizing and selecting surfactants in the preparation of formulations. Surfactants may be classified into different classes based on the nature of the hydrophilic group: nonionic, anionic, cationic and amphoteric (Rieger, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 285).

[0075] Naturally occurring emulsifiers used in emulsion formulations include lanolin, beeswax, phosphatides, lecithin and acacia. Absorption bases possess hydrophilic properties such that they can soak up water to form w/o emulsions yet retain their semisolid consistencies, such as anhydrous lanolin and hydrophilic petrolatum. Finely divided solids have also been used as good emulsifiers especially in combination with surfactants and in viscous preparations. These include polar inorganic solids, such as heavy metal hydroxides, nonswelling clays such as bentonite, attapulgite, hectorite, kaolin, montmorillonite, colloidal aluminum silicate and colloidal magnesium aluminum silicate, pigments and nonpolar solids such as carbon or glyceryl tristearate.

[0076] A large variety of non-emulsifying materials are also included in emulsion formulations and contribute to the properties of emulsions. These include fats, oils, waxes, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty esters, humectants, hydrophilic colloids, preservatives and antioxidants (Block, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 335; Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199).

[0077] Hydrophilic colloids or hydrocolloids include naturally occurring gums and synthetic polymers such as polysaccharides (for example, acacia, agar, alginic acid, carrageenan, guar gum, karaya gum, and tragacanth), cellulose derivatives (for example, carboxymethylcellulose and carboxypropylcellulose), and synthetic polymers (for example, carbomers, cellulose ethers, and carboxyvinyl polymers). These disperse or swell in water to form colloidal solutions that stabilize emulsions by forming strong interfacial films around the dispersed-phase droplets and by increasing the viscosity of the external phase.

[0078] Since emulsions often contain a number of ingredients such as carbohydrates, proteins, sterols and phosphatides that may readily support the growth of microbes, these formulations often incorporate preservatives. Commonly used preservatives included in emulsion formulations include methyl paraben, propyl paraben, quaternary ammonium salts, benzalkonium chloride, esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and boric acid. Antioxidants are also commonly added to emulsion formulations to prevent deterioration of the formulation. Antioxidants used may be free radical scavengers such as tocopherols, alkyl gallates, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, or reducing agents such as ascorbic acid and sodium metabisulfite, and antioxidant synergists such as citric acid, tartaric acid, and lecithin.

[0079] The application of emulsion formulations via dermatological, oral and parenteral routes and methods for their manufacture have been reviewed in the literature (Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199). Emulsion formulations for oral delivery have been very widely used because of ease of formulation, as well as efficacy from an absorption and bioavailability standpoint (Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 245; Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199). Mineral-oil base laxatives, oil-soluble vitamins and high fat nutritive preparations are among the materials that have commonly been administered orally as o/w emulsions.

[0080] In one embodiment of the present invention, the compositions of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids are formulated as microemulsions. A microemulsion may be defined as a system of water, oil and amphiphile which is a single optically isotropic and thermodynamically stable liquid solution (Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 245). Typically microemulsions are systems that are prepared by first dispersing an oil in an aqueous surfactant solution and then adding a sufficient amount of a fourth component, generally an intermediate chain-length alcohol to form a transparent system. Therefore, microemulsions have also been described as thermodynamically stable, isotropically clear dispersions of two immiscible liquids that are stabilized by interfacial films of surface-active molecules (Leung and Shah, in: Controlled Release of Drugs: Polymers and Aggregate Systems, Rosoff, M., Ed., 1989, VCH Publishers, New York, pages 185-215). Microemulsions commonly are prepared via a combination of three to five components that include oil, water, surfactant, cosurfactant and electrolyte. Whether the microemulsion is of the water-in-oil (w/o) or an oil-in-water (o/w) type is dependent on the properties of the oil and surfactant used and on the structure and geometric packing of the polar heads and hydrocarbon tails of the surfactant molecules (Schott, in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., 1985, p. 271).

[0081] The phenomenological approach utilizing phase diagrams has been extensively studied and has yielded a comprehensive knowledge, to one skilled in the art, of how to formulate microemulsions (Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 245; Block, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 335). Compared to conventional emulsions, microemulsions offer the advantage of solubilizing water-insoluble drugs in a formulation of thermodynamically stable droplets that are formed spontaneously.

[0082] Surfactants used in the preparation of microemulsions include, but are not limited to, ionic surfactants, non-ionic surfactants, Brij 96, polyoxyethylene oleyl ethers, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, tetraglycerol monolaurate (ML310), tetraglycerol monooleate (MO310), hexaglycerol monooleate (PO310), hexaglycerol pentaoleate (PO500), decaglycerol monocaprate (MCA750), decaglycerol monooleate (MO750), decaglycerol sequioleate (SO750), decaglycerol decaoleate (DAO750), alone or in combination with cosurfactants. The cosurfactant, usually a short-chain alcohol such as ethanol, 1-propanol, and 1-butanol, serves to increase the interfacial fluidity by penetrating into the surfactant film and consequently creating a disordered film because of the void space generated among surfactant molecules. Microemulsions may, however, be prepared without the use of cosurfactants and alcohol-free self-emulsifying microemulsion systems are known in the art. The aqueous phase may typically be, but is not limited to, water, an aqueous solution of the drug, glycerol, PEG300, PEG400, polyglycerols, propylene glycols, and derivatives of ethylene glycol. The oil phase may include, but is not limited to, materials such as Captex 300, Captex 355, Capmul MCM, fatty acid esters, medium chain (C8-C12) mono, di, and tri-glycerides, polyoxyethylated glyceryl fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols, polyglycolized glycerides, saturated polyglycolized C8-C10 glycerides, vegetable oils and silicone oil.

[0083] Microemulsions are particularly of interest from the standpoint of drug solubilization and the enhanced absorption of drugs. Lipid based microemulsions (both o/w and w/o) have been proposed to enhance the oral bioavailability of drugs, including peptides (Constantinides et al., Pharmaceutical Research, 1994, 11, 1385-1390; Ritschel, Meth. Find. Exp. Clin. Pharmacol., 1993, 13, 205). Microemulsions afford advantages of improved drug solubilization, protection of drug from enzymatic hydrolysis, possible enhancement of drug absorption due to surfactant-induced alterations in membrane fluidity and permeability, ease of preparation, ease of oral administration over solid dosage forms, improved clinical potency, and decreased toxicity (Constantinides et al., Pharmaceutical Research, 1994, 11, 1385; Ho et al., J. Pharm. Sci., 1996, 85, 138-143). Often microemulsions may form spontaneously when their components are brought together at ambient temperature. This may be particularly advantageous when formulating thermolabile drugs, peptides or oligonucleotides. Microemulsions have also been effective in the transdermal delivery of active components in both cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. It is expected that the microemulsion compositions and formulations of the present invention will facilitate the increased systemic absorption of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids from the gastrointestinal tract, as well as improve the local cellular uptake of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids within the gastrointestinal tract, vagina, buccal cavity and other areas of administration.

[0084] Microemulsions of the present invention may also contain additional components and additives such as sorbitan monostearate (Grill 3), Labrasol, and penetration enhancers to improve the properties of the formulation and to enhance the absorption of the oligonucleotides and nucleic acids of the present invention. Penetration enhancers used in the microemulsions of the present invention may be classified as belonging to one of five broad categories—surfactants, fatty acids, bile salts, chelating agents, and non-chelating non-surfactants (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, p. 92). Each of these classes has been discussed above.

[0085] Liposomes

[0086] There are many organized surfactant structures besides microemulsions that have been studied and used for the formulation of drugs. These include monolayers, micelles, bilayers and vesicles. Vesicles, such as liposomes, have attracted great interest because of their specificity and the duration of action they offer from the standpoint of drug delivery. As used in the present invention, the term “liposome” means a vesicle composed of amphiphilic lipids arranged in a spherical bilayer or bilayers.

[0087] Liposomes are unilamellar or multilamellar vesicles which have a membrane formed from a lipophilic material and an aqueous interior. The aqueous portion contains the composition to be delivered. Cationic liposomes possess the advantage of being able to fuse to the cell wall. Non-cationic liposomes, although not able to fuse as efficiently with the cell wall, are taken up by macrophages in vivo.

[0088] In order to cross intact mammalian skin, lipid vesicles must pass through a series of fine pores, each with a diameter less than 50 nm, under the influence of a suitable transdermal gradient. Therefore, it is desirable to use a liposome which is highly deformable and able to pass through such fine pores.

[0089] Further advantages of liposomes include; liposomes obtained from natural phospholipids are biocompatible and biodegradable; liposomes can incorporate a wide range of water and lipid soluble drugs; liposomes can protect encapsulated drugs in their internal compartments from metabolism and degradation (Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 245). Important considerations in the preparation of liposome formulations are the lipid surface charge, vesicle size and the aqueous volume of the liposomes.

[0090] Liposomes are useful for the transfer and delivery of active ingredients to the site of action. Because the liposomal membrane is structurally similar to biological membranes, when liposomes are applied to a tissue, the liposomes start to merge with the cellular membranes and as the merging of the liposome and cell progresses, the liposomal contents are emptied into the cell where the active agent may act.

[0091] Liposomal formulations have been the focus of extensive investigation as the mode of delivery for many drugs. There is growing evidence that for topical administration, liposomes present several advantages over other formulations. Such advantages include reduced side-effects related to high systemic absorption of the administered drug, increased accumulation of the administered drug at the desired target, and the ability to administer a wide variety of drugs, both hydrophilic and hydrophobic, into the skin.

[0092] Several reports have detailed the ability of liposomes to deliver agents including high-molecular weight DNA into the skin. Compounds including analgesics, antibodies, hormones and high-molecular weight DNAs have been administered to the skin. The majority of applications resulted in the targeting of the upper epidermis.

[0093] Liposomes fall into two broad classes. Cationic liposomes are positively charged liposomes which interact with the negatively charged DNA molecules to form a stable complex. The positively charged DNA/liposome complex binds to the negatively charged cell surface and is internalized in an endosome. Due to the acidic pH within the endosome, the liposomes are ruptured, releasing their contents into the cell cytoplasm (Wang et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 1987, 147, 980-985).

[0094] Liposomes which are pH-sensitive or negatively-charged, entrap DNA rather than complex with it. Since both the DNA and the lipid are similarly charged, repulsion rather than complex formation occurs. Nevertheless, some DNA is entrapped within the aqueous interior of these liposomes. pH-sensitive liposomes have been used to deliver DNA encoding the thymidine kinase gene to cell monolayers in culture. Expression of the exogenous gene was detected in the target cells (Zhou et al., Journal of Controlled Release, 1992, 19, 269-274).

[0095] One major type of liposomal composition includes phospholipids other than naturally-derived phosphatidylcholine. Neutral liposome compositions, for example, can be formed from dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) or dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC). Anionic liposome compositions generally are formed from dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol, while anionic fusogenic liposomes are formed primarily from dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE). Another type of liposomal composition is formed from phosphatidylcholine (PC) such as, for example, soybean PC, and egg PC. Another type is formed from mixtures of phospholipid and/or phosphatidylcholine and/or cholesterol.

[0096] Several studies have assessed the topical delivery of liposomal drug formulations to the skin. Application of liposomes containing interferon to guinea pig skin resulted in a reduction of skin herpes sores while delivery of interferon via other means (e.g. as a solution or as an emulsion) were ineffective (Weiner et al., Journal of Drug Targeting, 1992, 2, 405-410). Further, an additional study tested the efficacy of interferon administered as part of a liposomal formulation to the administration of interferon using an aqueous system, and concluded that the liposomal formulation was superior to aqueous administration (du Plessis et al., Antiviral Research, 1992, 18, 259-265).

[0097] Non-ionic liposomal systems have also been examined to determine their utility in the delivery of drugs to the skin, in particular systems comprising non-ionic surfactant and cholesterol. Non-ionic liposomal formulations comprising Novasome™ I (glyceryl dilaurate/cholesterol/polyoxyethylene-10-stearyl ether) and Novasome™ II (glyceryl distearate/cholesterol/polyoxyethylene-10-stearyl ether) were used to deliver cyclosporin-A into the dermis of mouse skin. Results indicated that such non-ionic liposomal systems were effective in facilitating the deposition of cyclosporin-A into different layers of the skin (Hu et al. S.T.P.Pharma. Sci., 1994, 4, 6, 466).

[0098] Liposomes also include “sterically stabilized” liposomes, a term which, as used herein, refers to liposomes comprising one or more specialized lipids that, when incorporated into liposomes, result in enhanced circulation lifetimes relative to liposomes lacking such specialized lipids. Examples of sterically stabilized liposomes are those in which part of the vesicle-forming lipid portion of the liposome (A) comprises one or more glycolipids, such as monosialoganglioside G_(M1), or (B) is derivatized with one or more hydrophilic polymers, such as a polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety. While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is thought in the art that, at least for sterically stabilized liposomes containing gangliosides, sphingomyelin, or PEG-derivatized lipids, the enhanced circulation half-life of these sterically stabilized liposomes derives from a reduced uptake into cells of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) (Allen et al., FEBS Letters, 1987, 223, 42; Wu et al., Cancer Research, 1993, 53, 3765). Various liposomes comprising one or more glycolipids are known in the art. Papahadjopoulos et al. (Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1987, 507, 64) reported the ability of monosialoganglioside G_(M1), galactocerebroside sulfate and phosphatidylinositol to improve blood half-lives of liposomes. These findings were expounded upon by Gabizon et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 1988, 85, 6949). U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,028 and WO 88/04924, both to Allen et al., disclose liposomes comprising (1) sphingomyelin and (2) the ganglioside G_(M1) or a galactocerebroside sulfate ester. U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,152 (Webb et al.) discloses liposomes comprising sphingomyelin. Liposomes comprising 1,2-sn-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine are disclosed in WO 97/13499 (Lim et al.).

[0099] Many liposomes comprising lipids derivatized with one or more hydrophilic polymers, and methods of preparation thereof, are known in the art. Sunamoto et al. (Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 1980, 53, 2778) described liposomes comprising a nonionic detergent, 2C₁₂15G, that contains a PEG moiety. Illum et al. (FEBS Lett., 1984, 167, 79) noted that hydrophilic coating of polystyrene particles with polymeric glycols results in significantly enhanced blood half-lives. Synthetic phospholipids modified by the attachment of carboxylic groups of polyalkylene glycols (e.g., PEG) are described by Sears (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,426,330 and 4,534,899). Klibanov et al. (FEBS Lett., 1990, 268, 235) described experiments demonstrating that liposomes comprising phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) derivatized with PEG or PEG stearate have significant increases in blood circulation half-lives. Blume et al. (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1990, 1029, 91) extended such observations to other PEG-derivatized phospholipids, e.g., DSPE-PEG, formed from the combination of distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE) and PEG. Liposomes having covalently bound PEG moieties on their external surface are described in European Pat. No. EP 0 445 131 B1 and WO 90/04384 to Fisher. Liposome compositions containing 1-20 mole percent of PE derivatized with PEG, and methods of use thereof, are described by Woodle et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,013,556 and 5,356,633) and Martin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,804 and European Pat. No. EP 0 496 813 B1). Liposomes comprising a number of other lipid-polymer conjugates are disclosed in WO 91/05545 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,212 (both to Martin et al.) and in WO 94/20073 (Zalipsky et al.) Liposomes comprising PEG-modified ceramide lipids are described in WO 96/10391 (Choi et al.). U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,935 (Miyazaki et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,948 (Tagawa et al.) describe PEG-containing liposomes that can be further derivatized with functional moieties on their surfaces.

[0100] A limited number of liposomes comprising nucleic acids are known in the art. WO 96/40062 to Thierry et al. discloses methods for encapsulating high molecular weight nucleic acids in liposomes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,221 to Tagawa et al. discloses protein-bonded liposomes and asserts that the contents of such liposomes may include an antisense RNA. U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,710 to Rahman et al. describes certain methods of encapsulating oligodeoxynucleotides in liposomes. WO 97/04787 to Love et al. discloses liposomes comprising antisense oligonucleotides targeted to the raf gene.

[0101] Transfersomes are yet another type of liposomes, and are highly deformable lipid aggregates which are attractive candidates for drug delivery vehicles. Transfersomes may be described as lipid droplets which are so highly deformable that they are easily able to penetrate through pores which are smaller than the droplet. Transfersomes are adaptable to the environment in which they are used, e.g. they are self-optimizing (adaptive to the shape of pores in the skin), self-repairing, frequently reach their targets without fragmenting, and often self-loading. To make transfersomes it is possible to add surface edge-activators, usually surfactants, to a standard liposomal composition. Transfersomes have been used to deliver serum albumin to the skin. The transfersome-mediated delivery of serum albumin has been shown to be as effective as subcutaneous injection of a solution containing serum albumin.

[0102] Surfactants find wide application in formulations such as emulsions (including microemulsions) and liposomes. The most common way of classifying and ranking the properties of the many different types of surfactants, both natural and synthetic, is by the use of the hydrophile/lipophile balance (HLB). The nature of the hydrophilic group (also known as the “head”) provides the most useful means for categorizing the different surfactants used in formulations (Rieger, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1988, p. 285).

[0103] If the surfactant molecule is not ionized, it is classified as a nonionic surfactant. Nonionic surfactants find wide application in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products and are usable over a wide range of pH values. In general their HLB values range from 2 to about 18 depending on their structure. Nonionic surfactants include nonionic esters such as ethylene glycol esters, propylene glycol esters, glyceryl esters, polyglyceryl esters, sorbitan esters, sucrose esters, and ethoxylated esters. Nonionic alkanolamides and ethers such as fatty alcohol ethoxylates, propoxylated alcohols, and ethoxylated/propoxylated block polymers are also included in this class. The polyoxyethylene surfactants are the most popular members of the nonionic surfactant class.

[0104] If the surfactant molecule carries a negative charge when it is dissolved or dispersed in water, the surfactant is classified as anionic. Anionic surfactants include carboxylates such as soaps, acyl lactylates, acyl amides of amino acids, esters of sulfuric acid such as alkyl sulfates and ethoxylated alkyl sulfates, sulfonates such as alkyl benzene sulfonates, acyl isethionates, acyl taurates and sulfosuccinates, and phosphates. The most important members of the anionic surfactant class are the alkyl sulfates and the soaps.

[0105] If the surfactant molecule carries a positive charge when it is dissolved or dispersed in water, the surfactant is classified as cationic. Cationic surfactants include quaternary ammonium salts and ethoxylated amines. The quaternary ammonium salts are the most used members of this class.

[0106] If the surfactant molecule has the ability to carry either a positive or negative charge, the surfactant is classified as amphoteric. Amphoteric surfactants include acrylic acid derivatives, substituted alkylamides, N-alkylbetaines and phosphatides.

[0107] The use of surfactants in drug products, formulations and in emulsions has been reviewed (Rieger, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1988, p. 285).

[0108] Penetration Enhancers

[0109] In one embodiment, the present invention employs various penetration enhancers to effect the efficient delivery of nucleic acids, particularly oligonucleotides, to the skin of animals. Most drugs are present in solution in both ionized and nonionized forms. However, usually only lipid soluble or lipophilic drugs readily cross cell membranes. It has been discovered that even non-lipophilic drugs may cross cell membranes if the membrane to be crossed is treated with a penetration enhancer. In addition to aiding the diffusion of non-lipophilic drugs across cell membranes, penetration enhancers also enhance the permeability of lipophilic drugs.

[0110] Penetration enhancers may be classified as belonging to one of five broad categories, i.e., surfactants, fatty acids, bile salts, chelating agents, and non-chelating non-surfactants (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, p.92). Each of the above mentioned classes of penetration enhancers are described below in greater detail.

[0111] Surfactants: In connection with the present invention, surfactants (or “surface-active agents”) are chemical entities which, when dissolved in an aqueous solution, reduce the surface tension of the solution or the interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and another liquid, with the result that absorption of oligonucleotides through the mucosa is enhanced. In addition to bile salts and fatty acids, these penetration enhancers include, for example, sodium lauryl sulfate, polyoxyethylene-9-lauryl ether and polyoxyethylene-20-cetyl ether) (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, p.92); and perfluorochemical emulsions, such as FC-43. Takahashi et al., J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 1988, 40, 252).

[0112] Fatty acids: Various fatty acids and their derivatives which act as penetration enhancers include, for example, oleic acid, lauric acid, capric acid (n-decanoic acid), myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, dicaprate, tricaprate, monoolein (1-monooleoyl-rac-glycerol), dilaurin, caprylic acid, arachidonic acid, glycerol 1-monocaprate, 1-dodecylazacycloheptan-2-one, acylcarnitines, acylcholines, C₁₋₁₀ alkyl esters thereof (e.g., methyl, isopropyl and t-butyl), and mono- and di-glycerides thereof (i.e., oleate, laurate, caprate, myristate, palmitate, stearate, linoleate, etc.) (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, p.92; Muranishi, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1990, 7, 1-33; El Hariri et al., J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 1992, 44, 651-654).

[0113] Bile salts: The physiological role of bile includes the facilitation of dispersion and absorption of lipids and fat-soluble vitamins (Brunton, Chapter 38 in: Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th Ed., Hardman et al. Eds., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1996, pp. 934-935). Various natural bile salts, and their synthetic derivatives, act as penetration enhancers. Thus the term “bile salts” includes any of the naturally occurring components of bile as well as any of their synthetic derivatives. The bile salts of the invention include, for example, cholic acid (or its pharmaceutically acceptable sodium salt, sodium cholate), dehydrocholic acid (sodium dehydrocholate), deoxycholic acid (sodium deoxycholate), glucholic acid (sodium glucholate), glycholic acid (sodium glycocholate), glycodeoxycholic acid (sodium glycodeoxycholate), taurocholic acid (sodium taurocholate), taurodeoxycholic acid (sodium taurodeoxycholate), chenodeoxycholic acid (sodium chenodeoxycholate), ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), sodium tauro-24,25-dihydro-fusidate (STDHF), sodium glycodihydrofusidate and polyoxyethylene-9-lauryl ether (POE) (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, page 92; Swinyard, Chapter 39 In: Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 18th Ed., Gennaro, ed., Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., 1990, pages 782-783; Muranishi, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1990, 7, 1-33; Yamamoto et al., J. Pharm. Exp. Ther., 1992, 263, 25; Yamashita et al., J. Pharm. Sci., 1990, 79, 579-583).

[0114] Chelating Agents: Chelating agents, as used in connection with the present invention, can be defined as compounds that remove metallic ions from solution by forming complexes therewith, with the result that absorption of oligonucleotides through the mucosa is enhanced. With regards to their use as penetration enhancers in the present invention, chelating agents have the added advantage of also serving as DNase inhibitors, as most characterized DNA nucleases require a divalent metal ion for catalysis and are thus inhibited by chelating agents (Jarrett, J. Chromatogr., 1993, 618, 315-339). Chelating agents of the invention include but are not limited to disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), citric acid, salicylates (e.g., sodium salicylate, 5-methoxysalicylate and homovanilate), N-acyl derivatives of collagen, laureth-9 and N-amino acyl derivatives of beta-diketones (enamines)(Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, page 92; Muranishi, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1990, 7, 1-33; Buur et al., J. Control Rel., 1990, 14, 43-51).

[0115] Non-chelating non-surfactants: As used herein, non-chelating non-surfactant penetration enhancing compounds can be defined as compounds that demonstrate insignificant activity as chelating agents or as surfactants but that nonetheless enhance absorption of oligonucleotides through the alimentary mucosa (Muranishi, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1990, 7, 1-33). This class of penetration enhancers include, for example, unsaturated cyclic ureas, 1-alkyl- and 1-alkenylazacyclo-alkanone derivatives (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, page 92); and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as diclofenac sodium, indomethacin and phenylbutazone (Yamashita et al., J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 1987, 39, 621-626).

[0116] Agents that enhance uptake of oligonucleotides at the cellular level may also be added to the pharmaceutical and other compositions of the present invention. For example, cationic lipids, such as lipofectin (Junichi et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,188), cationic glycerol derivatives, and polycationic molecules, such as polylysine (Lollo et al., PCT Application WO 97/30731), are also known to enhance the cellular uptake of oligonucleotides.

[0117] Other agents may be utilized to enhance the penetration of the administered nucleic acids, including glycols such as ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, pyrrols such as 2-pyrrol, azones, and terpenes such as limonene and menthone.

[0118] Carriers

[0119] Certain compositions of the present invention also incorporate carrier compounds in the formulation. As used herein, “carrier compound” or “carrier” can refer to a nucleic acid, or analog thereof, which is inert (i.e., does not possess biological activity per se) but is recognized as a nucleic acid by in vivo processes that reduce the bioavailability of a nucleic acid having biological activity by, for example, degrading the biologically active nucleic acid or promoting its removal from circulation. The coadministration of a nucleic acid and a carrier compound, typically with an excess of the latter substance, can result in a substantial reduction of the amount of nucleic acid recovered in the liver, kidney or other extracirculatory reservoirs, presumably due to competition between the carrier compound and the nucleic acid for a common receptor. For example, the recovery of a partially phosphorothioate oligonucleotide in hepatic tissue can be reduced when it is coadministered with polyinosinic acid, dextran sulfate, polycytidic acid or 4-acetamido-4′isothiocyano-stilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (Miyao et al., Antisense Res. Dev., 1995, 5, 115-121; Takakura et al., Antisense & Nucl. Acid Drug Dev., 1996, 6, 177-183).

[0120] Excipients

[0121] In contrast to a carrier compound, a “pharmaceutical carrier” or “excipient” is a pharmaceutically acceptable solvent, suspending agent or any other pharmacologically inert vehicle for delivering one or more nucleic acids to an animal. The excipient may be liquid or solid and is selected, with the planned manner of administration in mind, so as to provide for the desired bulk, consistency, etc., when combined with a nucleic acid and the other components of a given pharmaceutical composition. Typical pharmaceutical carriers include, but are not limited to, binding agents (e.g., pregelatinized maize starch, polyvinylpyrrolidone or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, etc.); fillers (e.g., lactose and other sugars, microcrystalline cellulose, pectin, gelatin, calcium sulfate, ethyl cellulose, polyacrylates or calcium hydrogen phosphate, etc.); lubricants (e.g., magnesium stearate, talc, silica, colloidal silicon dioxide, stearic acid, metallic stearates, hydrogenated vegetable oils, corn starch, polyethylene glycols, sodium benzoate, sodium acetate, etc.); disintegrants (e.g., starch, sodium starch glycolate, etc.); and wetting agents (e.g., sodium lauryl sulphate, etc.).

[0122] Pharmaceutically acceptable organic or inorganic excipient suitable for non-parenteral administration which do not deleteriously react with nucleic acids can also be used to formulate the compositions of the present invention. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include, but are not limited to, water, salt solutions, alcohols, polyethylene glycols, gelatin, lactose, amylose, magnesium stearate, talc, silicic acid, viscous paraffin, hydroxymethylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone and the like.

[0123] Formulations for topical administration of nucleic acids may include sterile and non-sterile aqueous solutions, non-aqueous solutions in common solvents such as alcohols, or solutions of the nucleic acids in liquid or solid oil bases. The solutions may also contain buffers, diluents and other suitable additives. Pharmaceutically acceptable organic or inorganic excipients suitable for non-parenteral administration which do not deleteriously react with nucleic acids can be used.

[0124] Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable excipients include, but are not limited to, water, salt solutions, alcohol, polyethylene glycols, gelatin, lactose, amylose, magnesium stearate, talc, silicic acid, viscous paraffin, hydroxymethylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone and the like.

[0125] Other Components

[0126] The compositions of the present invention may additionally contain other adjunct components conventionally found in pharmaceutical compositions, at their art-established usage levels. Thus, for example, the compositions may contain additional, compatible, pharmaceutically-active materials such as, for example, antipruritics, astringents, local anesthetics or anti-inflammatory agents, or may contain additional materials useful in physically formulating various dosage forms of the compositions of the present invention, such as dyes, flavoring agents, preservatives, antioxidants, opacifiers, thickening agents and stabilizers. However, such materials, when added, should not unduly interfere with the biological activities of the components of the compositions of the present invention. The formulations can be sterilized and, if desired, mixed with auxiliary agents, e.g., lubricants, preservatives, stabilizers, wetting agents, emulsifiers, salts for influencing osmotic pressure, buffers, colorings, flavorings and/or aromatic substances and the like which do not deleteriously interact with the nucleic acid(s) of the formulation.

[0127] Aqueous suspensions may contain substances which increase the viscosity of the suspension including, for example, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sorbitol and/or dextran. The suspension may also contain stabilizers.

[0128] Certain embodiments of the invention provide pharmaceutical compositions containing (a) one or more antisense compounds and (b) one or more other chemotherapeutic agents which function by a non-antisense mechanism. Examples of such chemotherapeutic agents include but are not limited to daunorubicin, daunomycin, dactinomycin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, idarubicin, esorubicin, bleomycin, mafosfamide, ifosfamide, cytosine arabinoside, bis-chloroethylnitrosurea, busulfan, mitomycin C, actinomycin D, mithramycin, prednisone, hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone, tamoxifen, dacarbazine, procarbazine, hexamethylmelamine, pentamethylmelamine, mitoxantrone, amsacrine, chlorambucil, methylcyclohexylnitrosurea, nitrogen mustards, melphalan, cyclophosphamide, 6-mercaptopurine, 6-thioguanine, cytarabine, 5-azacytidine, hydroxyurea, deoxycoformycin, 4-hydroxyperoxycyclophosphoramide, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (5-FUdR), methotrexate (MTX), colchicine, taxol, vincristine, vinblastine, etoposide (VP-16), trimetrexate, irinotecan, topotecan, gemcitabine, teniposide, cisplatin and diethylstilbestrol (DES). See, generally, The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, 15th Ed. 1987, pp. 1206-1228, Berkow et al., eds., Rahway, N.J. When used with the compounds of the invention, such chemotherapeutic agents may be used individually (e.g., 5-FU and oligonucleotide), sequentially (e.g., 5-FU and oligonucleotide for a period of time followed by MTX and oligonucleotide), or in combination with one or more other such chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., 5-FU, MTX and oligonucleotide, or 5-FU, radiotherapy and oligonucleotide). Anti-inflammatory drugs, including but not limited to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids, and antiviral drugs, including but not limited to ribivirin, vidarabine, acyclovir and ganciclovir, may also be combined in compositions of the invention. See, generally, The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, 15th Ed., Berkow et al., eds., 1987, Rahway, N.J., pages 2499-2506 and 46-49, respectively). Other non-antisense chemotherapeutic agents are also within the scope of this invention. Two or more combined compounds may be used together or sequentially.

[0129] In another related embodiment, compositions of the invention may contain one or more antisense compounds, particularly oligonucleotides, targeted to a first nucleic acid and one or more additional antisense compounds targeted to a second nucleic acid target. Numerous examples of antisense compounds are known in the art. Two or more combined compounds may be used together or sequentially.

[0130] The formulation of therapeutic compositions and their subsequent administration is believed to be within the skill of those in the art. Dosing is dependent on severity and responsiveness of the disease state to be treated, with the course of treatment lasting from several days to several months, or until a cure is effected or a diminution of the disease state is achieved. Optimal dosing schedules can be calculated from measurements of drug accumulation in the body of the patient. Persons of ordinary skill can easily determine optimum dosages, dosing methodologies and repetition rates. Optimum dosages may vary depending on the relative potency of individual oligonucleotides, and can generally be estimated based on EC₅₀s found to be effective in in vitro and in vivo animal models. In general, dosage is from 0.01 ug to 100 g per kg of body weight, and may be given once or more daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, or even once every 2 to 20 years. Persons of ordinary skill in the art can easily estimate repetition rates for dosing based on measured residence times and concentrations of the drug in bodily fluids or tissues. Following successful treatment, it may be desirable to have the patient undergo maintenance therapy to prevent the recurrence of the disease state, wherein the oligonucleotide is administered in maintenance doses, ranging from 0.01 ug to 100 g per kg of body weight, once or more daily, to once every 20 years.

[0131] While the present invention has been described with specificity in accordance with certain of its preferred embodiments, the following examples serve only to illustrate the invention and are not intended to limit the same.

EXAMPLES Example 1

[0132] Nucleoside Phosphoramidites for Oligonucleotide Synthesis Deoxy and 2′-alkoxy amidites

[0133] 2′-Deoxy and 2′-methoxy beta-cyanoethyldiisopropyl phosphoramidites were purchased from commercial sources (e.g. Chemgenes, Needham Mass. or Glen Research, Inc. Sterling Va.). Other 2′-O-alkoxy substituted nucleoside amidites are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,351, herein incorporated by reference. For oligonucleotides synthesized using 2′-alkoxy amidites, optimized synthesis cycles were developed that incorporate multiple steps coupling longer wait times relative to standard synthesis cycles.

[0134] The following abbreviations are used in the text: thin layer chromatography (TLC), melting point (MP), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), argon (Ar), methanol (MeOH), dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂), triethylamine (TEA), dimethyl formamide (DMF), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), tetrahydrofuran (THF).

[0135] Oligonucleotides containing 5-methyl-2′-deoxycytidine (5-Me-dC) nucleotides were synthesized according to published methods (Sanghvi, et. al., Nucleic Acids Research, 1993, 21, 3197-3203) using commercially available phosphoramidites (Glen Research, Sterling Va. or ChemGenes, Needham Mass.) or prepared as follows:

[0136] Preparation of 5′-O-Dimethoxytrityl-thymidine intermediate for 5-methyl dC amidite

[0137] To a 50 L glass reactor equipped with air stirrer and Ar gas line was added thymidine (1.00 kg, 4.13 mol) in anhydrous pyridine (6 L) at ambient temperature. Dimethoxytrityl (DMT) chloride (1.47 kg, 4.34 mol, 1.05 eq) was added as a solid in four portions over 1 h. After 30 min, TLC indicated approx. 95% product, 2% thymidine, 5% DMT reagent and by-products and 2% 3′,5′-bis DMT product (R_(f) in EtOAc 0.45, 0.05, 0.98, 0.95 respectively). Saturated sodium bicarbonate (4 L) and CH₂Cl₂ were added with stirring (pH of the aqueous layer 7.5). An additional 18 L of water was added, the mixture was stirred, the phases were separated, and the organic layer was transferred to a second 50 L vessel. The aqueous layer was extracted with additional CH₂Cl₂ (2×2 L). The combined organic layer was washed with water (10 L) and then concentrated in a rotary evaporator to approx. 3.6 kg total weight. This was redissolved in CH₂Cl₂ (3.5 L), added to the reactor followed by water (6 L) and hexanes (13 L). The mixture was vigorously stirred and seeded to give a fine white suspended solid starting at the interface. After stirring for 1 h, the suspension was removed by suction through a ½″ diameter teflon tube into a 20 L suction flask, poured onto a 25 cm Coors Buchner funnel, washed with water (2×3 L) and a mixture of hexanes-CH₂Cl₂ (4:1, 2×3 L) and allowed to air dry overnight in pans (1″ deep). This was further dried in a vacuum oven (75° C., 0.1 mm Hg, 48 h) to a constant weight of 2072 g (93%) of a white solid, (mp 122-124° C.). TLC indicated a trace contamination of the bis DMT product. NMR spectroscopy also indicated that 1-2 mole percent pyridine and about 5 mole percent of hexanes was still present.

[0138] Preparation of 5′-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2′-deoxy-5-methylcytidine Intermediate for 5-methyl-dC amidite

[0139] To a 50 L Schott glass-lined steel reactor equipped with an electric stirrer, reagent addition pump (connected to an addition funnel), heating/cooling system, internal thermometer and an Ar gas line was added 5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-thymidine (3.00 kg, 5.51 mol), anhydrous acetonitrile (25 L) and TEA (12.3 L, 88.4 mol, 16 eq). The mixture was chilled with stirring to −10° C. internal temperature (external −20° C.). Trimethylsilylchloride (2.1 L, 16.5 mol, 3.0 eq) was added over 30 minutes while maintaining the internal temperature below −5° C., followed by a wash of anhydrous acetonitrile (1 L). Note: the reaction is mildly exothermic and copious hydrochloric acid fumes form over the course of the addition. The reaction was allowed to warm to 0° C. and the reaction progress was confirmed by TLC (EtOAc-hexanes 4:1; R_(f) 0.43 to 0.84 of starting material and silyl product, respectively). Upon completion, triazole (3.05 kg, 44 mol, 8.0 eq) was added the reaction was cooled to −20° C. internal temperature (external −30° C.). Phosphorous oxychloride (1035 mL, 11.1 mol, 2.01 eq) was added over 60 min so as to maintain the temperature between −20° C. and −10° C. during the strongly exothermic process, followed by a wash of anhydrous acetonitrile (1 L). The reaction was warmed to 0° C. and stirred for 1 h. TLC indicated a complete conversion to the triazole product (R_(f) 0.83 to 0.34 with the product spot glowing in long wavelength UV light). The reaction mixture was a peach-colored thick suspension, which turned darker red upon warming without apparent decomposition. The reaction was cooled to −15° C. internal temperature and water (5 L) was slowly added at a rate to maintain the temperature below +10° C. in order to quench the reaction and to form a homogenous solution. (Caution: this reaction is initially very strongly exothermic). Approximately one-half of the reaction volume (22 L) was transferred by air pump to another vessel, diluted with EtOAc (12 L) and extracted with water (2×8 L). The combined water layers were back-extracted with EtOAc (6 L). The water layer was discarded and the organic layers were concentrated in a 20 L rotary evaporator to an oily foam. The foam was coevaporated with anhydrous acetonitrile (4 L) to remove EtOAc. (note: dioxane may be used instead of anhydrous acetonitrile if dried to a hard foam). The second half of the reaction was treated in the same way. Each residue was dissolved in dioxane (3 L) and concentrated ammonium hydroxide (750 mL) was added. A homogenous solution formed in a few minutes and the reaction was allowed to stand overnight (although the reaction is complete within 1 h).

[0140] TLC indicated a complete reaction (product R_(f) 0.35 in EtOAc-MeOH 4:1). The reaction solution was concentrated on a rotary evaporator to a dense foam. Each foam was slowly redissolved in warm EtOAc (4 L; 50° C.), combined in a 50 L glass reactor vessel, and extracted with water (2×4 L) to remove the triazole by-product. The water was back-extracted with EtOAc (2 L). The organic layers were combined and concentrated to about 8 kg total weight, cooled to 0° C. and seeded with crystalline product. After 24 hours, the first crop was collected on a 25 cm Coors Buchner funnel and washed repeatedly with EtOAc (3×3 L) until a white powder was left and then washed with ethyl ether (2×3 L). The solid was put in pans (1″ deep) and allowed to air dry overnight. The filtrate was concentrated to an oil, then redissolved in EtOAc (2 L), cooled and seeded as before. The second crop was collected and washed as before (with proportional solvents) and the filtrate was first extracted with water (2×1 L) and then concentrated to an oil. The residue was dissolved in EtOAc (1 L) and yielded a third crop which was treated as above except that more washing was required to remove a yellow oily layer.

[0141] After air-drying, the three crops were dried in a vacuum oven (50° C., 0.1 mm Hg, 24 h) to a constant weight (1750, 600 and 200 g, respectively) and combined to afford 2550 g (85%) of a white crystalline product (MP 215-217° C.) when TLC and NMR spectroscopy indicated purity. The mother liquor still contained mostly product (as determined by TLC) and a small amount of triazole (as determined by NMR spectroscopy), bis DMT product and unidentified minor impurities. If desired, the mother liquor can be purified by silica gel chromatography using a gradient of MeOH (0-25%) in EtOAc to further increase the yield.

[0142] Preparation of 5′-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2′-deoxy-N4-benzoyl-5-methylcytidine Penultimate Intermediate for 5-methyl dC amidite

[0143] Crystalline 5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methyl-2′-deoxycytidine (2000 g, 3.68 mol) was dissolved in anhydrous DMF (6.0 kg) at ambient temperature in a 50 L glass reactor vessel equipped with an air stirrer and argon line. Benzoic anhydride (Chem Impex not Aldrich, 874 g, 3.86 mol, 1.05 eq) was added and the reaction was stirred at ambient temperature for 8 h. TLC (CH₂Cl₂-EtOAc; CH₂Cl₂-EtOAc 4:1; R_(f) 0.25) indicated approx. 92% complete reaction. An additional amount of benzoic anhydride (44 g, 0.19 mol) was added. After a total of 18 h, TLC indicated approx. 96% reaction completion. The solution was diluted with EtOAc (20 L), TEA (1020 mL, 7.36 mol, ca 2.0 eq) was added with stirring, and the mixture was extracted with water (15 L, then 2×10 L). The aqueous layer was removed (no back-extraction was needed) and the organic layer was concentrated in 2×20 L rotary evaporator flasks until a foam began to form. The residues were coevaporated with acetonitrile (1.5 L each) and dried (0.1 mm Hg, 25° C., 24 h) to 2520 g of a dense foam. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed a contamination of 6.3% of N4, 3′-O-dibenzoyl product, but very little other impurities.

[0144] THe product was purified by Biotage column chromatography (5 kg Biotage) prepared with 65:35:1 hexanes-EtOAc-TEA (4 L). The crude product (800 g), dissolved in CH₂Cl₂ (2 L), was applied to the column. The column was washed with the 65:35:1 solvent mixture (20 kg), then 20:80:1 solvent mixture (10 kg), then 99:1 EtOAc:TEA (17 kg). The fractions containing the product were collected, and any fractions containing the product and impurities were retained to be resubjected to column chromatography. The column was re-equilibrated with the original 65:35:1 solvent mixture (17 kg). A second batch of crude product (840 g) was applied to the column as before. The column was washed with the following solvent gradients: 65:35:1 (9 kg), 55:45:1 (20 kg), 20:80:1 (10 kg), and 99:1 EtOAc:TEA(15 kg). The column was reequilibrated as above, and a third batch of the crude product (850 g) plus impure fractions recycled from the two previous columns (28 g) was purified following the procedure for the second batch. The fractions containing pure product combined and concentrated on a 20 L rotary evaporator, co-evaporated with acetontirile (3 L) and dried (0.1 mm Hg, 48 h, 25° C.) to a constant weight of 2023 g (85%) of white foam and 20 g of slightly contaminated product from the third run. HPLC indicated a purity of 99.8% with the balance as the diBenzoyl product.

[0145] [5′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-deoxy-N⁴-benzoyl-5-methylcytidin-3′-O-yl]-2-cyanoeth-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite (5-methyl dC amidite)

[0146] 5′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-deoxy-N⁴-benzoyl-5-methylcytidine (998 g, 1.5 mol) was dissolved in anhydrous DMF (2 L). The solution was co-evaporated with toluene (300 ml) at 50° C. under reduced pressure, then cooled to room temperature and 2-cyanoethyl tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite (680 g, 2.26 mol) and tetrazole (52.5 g, 0.75 mol) were added. The mixture was shaken until all tetrazole was dissolved, N-methylimidazole (15 ml) was added and the mixture was left at room temperature for 5 hours. TEA (300 ml) was added, the mixture was diluted with DMF (2.5 L) and water (600 ml), and extracted with hexane (3×3 L). The mixture was diluted with water (1.2 L) and extracted with a mixture of toluene (7.5 L) and hexane (6 L). The two layers were separated, the upper layer was washed with DMF-water (7:3 v/v, 3×2 L) and water (3×2 L), and the phases were separated. The organic layer was dried (Na₂SO₄), filtered and rotary evaporated. The residue was co-evaporated with acetonitrile (2×2 L) under reduced pressure and dried to a constant weight (25° C., 0.1 mm Hg, 40 h) to afford 1250 g an off-white foam solid (96%).

[0147] 2′-Fluoro amidites

[0148] 2′-Fluorodeoxyadenosine amidites

[0149] 2′-fluoro oligonucleotides were synthesized as described previously [Kawasaki, et. al., J. Med. Chem., 1993, 36, 831-841] and U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,633, herein incorporated by reference. The preparation of 2′-fluoropyrimidines containing a 5-methyl substitution are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,493. Briefly, the protected nucleoside N6-benzoyl-2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroadenosine was synthesized utilizing commercially available 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine as starting material and whereby the 2′-alpha-fluoro atom is introduced by a S_(N)2-displacement of a 2′-beta-triflate group. Thus N6-benzoyl-9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine was selectively protected in moderate yield as the 3′,5′-ditetrahydropyranyl (THP) intermediate. Deprotection of the THP and N6-benzoyl groups was accomplished using standard methodologies to obtain the 5′-dimethoxytrityl-(DMT) and 5′-DMT-3′-phosphoramidite intermediates.

[0150] 2′-Fluorodeoxyguanosine

[0151] The synthesis of 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroguanosine was accomplished using tetraisopropyldisiloxanyl (TPDS) protected 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosylguanine as starting material, and conversion to the intermediate isobutyryl-arabinofuranosylguanosine. Alternatively, isobutyryl-arabinofuranosylguanosine was prepared as described by Ross et al., (Nucleosides & Nucleosides, 16, 1645, 1997). Deprotection of the TPDS group was followed by protection of the hydroxyl group with THP to give isobutyryl di-THP protected arabinofuranosylguanine. Selective O-deacylation and triflation was followed by treatment of the crude product with fluoride, then deprotection of the THP groups. Standard methodologies were used to obtain the 5′-DMT- and 5′-DMT-3′-phosphoramidites.

[0152] 2′-Fluorouridine

[0153] Synthesis of 2′-deoxy-2′-fluorouridine was accomplished by the modification of a literature procedure in which 2,2′-anhydro-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil was treated with 70% hydrogen fluoride-pyridine. Standard procedures were used to obtain the 5′-DMT and 5′-DMT-3′-phosphoramidites.

[0154] 2′-Fluorodeoxycytidine

[0155] 2′-deoxy-2′-fluorocytidine was synthesized via amination of 2′-deoxy-2′-fluorouridine, followed by selective protection to give N4-benzoyl-2′-deoxy-2′-fluorocytidine. Standard procedures were used to obtain the 5′-DMT and 5′-DMT-3′phosphoramidites.

[0156] 2′-O-(2-Methoxyethyl) Modified Amidites

[0157] 2′-O-Methoxyethyl-substituted nucleoside amidites (otherwise known as MOE amidites) are prepared as follows, or alternatively, as per the methods of Martin, P., (Helvetica Chimica Acta, 1995, 78, 486-504).

[0158] Preparation of 2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-5-methyluridine Intermediate

[0159] 2,2′-Anhydro-5-methyl-uridine (2000 g, 8.32 mol), tris(2-methoxyethyl)borate (2504 g, 10.60 mol), sodium bicarbonate (60 g, 0.70 mol) and anhydrous 2-methoxyethanol (5 L) were combined in a 12 L three necked flask and heated to 130° C. (internal temp) at atmospheric pressure, under an argon atmosphere with stirring for 21 h. TLC indicated a complete reaction. The solvent was removed under reduced pressure until a sticky gum formed (50-85° C. bath temp and 100-11 mm Hg) and the residue was redissolved in water (3 L) and heated to boiling for 30 min in order the hydrolyze the borate esters. The water was removed under reduced pressure until a foam began to form and then the process was repeated. HPLC indicated about 77% product, 15% dimer (5′ of product attached to 2′ of starting material) and unknown derivatives, and the balance was a single unresolved early eluting peak.

[0160] The gum was redissolved in brine (3 L), and the flask was rinsed with additional brine (3 L). The combined aqueous solutions were extracted with chloroform (20 L) in a heavier-than continuous extractor for 70 h. The chloroform layer was concentrated by rotary evaporation in a 20 L flask to a sticky foam (2400 g). This was coevaporated with MeOH (400 mL) and EtOAc (8 L) at 75° C. and 0.65 atm until the foam dissolved at which point the vacuum was lowered to about 0.5 atm. After 2.5 L of distillate was collected a precipitate began to form and the flask was removed from the rotary evaporator and stirred until the suspension reached ambient temperature. EtOAc (2 L) was added and the slurry was filtered on a 25 cm table top Buchner funnel and the product was washed with EtOAc (3×2 L). The bright white solid was air dried in pans for 24 h then further dried in a vacuum oven (50° C., 0.1 mm Hg, 24 h) to afford 1649 g of a white crystalline solid (mp 115.5-116.5° C.).

[0161] The brine layer in the 20 L continuous extractor was further extracted for 72 h with recycled chloroform. The chloroform was concentrated to 120 g of oil and this was combined with the mother liquor from the above filtration (225 g), dissolved in brine (250 mL) and extracted once with chloroform (250 mL). The brine solution was continuously extracted and the product was crystallized as described above to afford an additional 178 g of crystalline product containing about 2% of thymine. The combined yield was 1827 g (69.4%). HPLC indicated about 99.5% purity with the balance being the dimer.

[0162] Preparation of 5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-5-methyluridine Penultimate Intermediate

[0163] In a 50 L glass-lined steel reactor, 2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-5-methyl-uridine (MOE-T, 1500 g, 4.738 mol), lutidine (1015 g, 9.476 mol) were dissolved in anhydrous acetonitrile (15 L). The solution was stirred rapidly and chilled to −10° C. (internal temperature). Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl chloride (1765.7 g, 5.21 mol) was added as a solid in one portion. The reaction was allowed to warm to −2° C. over 1 h. (Note: The reaction was monitored closely by TLC (EtOAc) to determine when to stop the reaction so as to not generate the undesired bis-DMT substituted side product). The reaction was allowed to warm from −2 to 3° C. over 25 min. then quenched by adding MeOH (300 mL) followed after 10 min by toluene (16 L) and water (16 L). The solution was transferred to a clear 50 L vessel with a bottom outlet, vigorously stirred for 1 minute, and the layers separated. The aqueous layer was removed and the organic layer was washed successively with 10% aqueous citric acid (8 L) and water (12 L). The product was then extracted into the aqueous phase by washing the toluene solution with aqueous sodium hydroxide (0.5N, 16 L and 8 L). The combined aqueous layer was overlayed with toluene (12 L) and solid citric acid (8 moles, 1270 g) was added with vigorous stirring to lower the pH of the aqueous layer to 5.5 and extract the product into the toluene. The organic layer was washed with water (10 L) and TLC of the organic layer indicated a trace of DMT-O-Me, bis DMT and dimer DMT.

[0164] The toluene solution was applied to a silica gel column (6 L sintered glass funnel containing approx. 2 kg of silica gel slurried with toluene (2 L) and TEA(25 mL)) and the fractions were eluted with toluene (12 L) and EtOAc (3×4 L) using vacuum applied to a filter flask placed below the column. The first EtOAc fraction containing both the desired product and impurities were resubjected to column chromatography as above. The clean fractions were combined, rotary evaporated to a foam, coevaporated with acetonitrile (6 L) and dried in a vacuum oven (0.1 mm Hg, 40 h, 40° C.) to afford 2850 g of a white crisp foam. NMR spectroscopy indicated a 0.25 mole % remainder of acetonitrile (calculates to be approx. 47 g) to give a true dry weight of 2803 g (96%). HPLC indicated that the product was 99.41% pure, with the remainder being 0.06 DMT-O-Me, 0.10 unknown, 0.44 bis DMT, and no detectable dimer DMT or 3′-O-DMT.

[0165] Preparation of [5′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-5-methyluridin-3′-O-yl]-2-cyanoethyl-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite (MOE Tamidite)

[0166] 5′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (1237 g, 2.0 mol) was dissolved in anhydrous DMF (2.5 L). The solution was co-evaporated with toluene (200 ml) at 50° C. under reduced pressure, then cooled to room temperature and 2-cyanoethyl tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite (900 g, 3.0 mol) and tetrazole (70 g, 1.0 mol) were added. The mixture was shaken until all tetrazole was dissolved, N-methylimidazole (20 ml) was added and the solution was left at room temperature for 5 hours. TEA (300 ml) was added, the mixture was diluted with DMF (3.5 L) and water (600 ml) and extracted with hexane (3×3 L). The mixture was diluted with water (1.6 L) and extracted with the mixture of toluene (12 L) and hexanes (9 L). The upper layer was washed with DMF-water (7:3 v/v, 3×3 L) and water (3×3 L). The organic layer was dried (Na₂SO₄), filtered and evaporated. The residue was co-evaporated with acetonitrile (2×2 L) under reduced pressure and dried in a vacuum oven (25° C., 0.1 mm Hg, 40 h) to afford 1526 g of an off-white foamy solid (95%).

[0167] Preparation of 5′-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-5-methylcytidine Intermediate

[0168] To a 50 L Schott glass-lined steel reactor equipped with an electric stirrer, reagent addition pump (connected to an addition funnel), heating/cooling system, internal thermometer and argon gas line was added 5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-5-methyl-uridine (2.616 kg, 4.23 mol, purified by base extraction only and no scrub column), anhydrous acetonitrile (20 L), and TEA (9.5 L, 67.7 mol, 16 eq). The mixture was chilled with stirring to −10° C. internal temperature (external −20° C.). Trimethylsilylchloride (1.60 L, 12.7 mol, 3.0 eq) was added over 30 min. while maintaining the internal temperature below −5° C., followed by a wash of anhydrous acetonitrile (1 L). (Note: the reaction is mildly exothermic and copious hydrochloric acid fumes form over the course of the addition). The reaction was allowed to warm to 0° C. and the reaction progress was confirmed by TLC (EtOAc, R_(f) 0.68 and 0.87 for starting material and silyl product, respectively). Upon completion, triazole (2.34 kg, 33.8 mol, 8.0 eq) was added the reaction was cooled to −20° C. internal temperature (external −30° C.). Phosphorous oxychloride (793 mL, 8.51 mol, 2.01 eq) was added slowly over 60 min so as to maintain the temperature between −20° C. and −10° C. (note: strongly exothermic), followed by a wash of anhydrous acetonitrile (1 L). The reaction was warmed to 0° C. and stirred for 1 h, at which point it was an off-white thick suspension. TLC indicated a complete conversion to the triazole product (EtOAc, R_(f) 0.87 to 0.75 with the product spot glowing in long wavelength UV light). The reaction was cooled to −15° C. and water (5 L) was slowly added at a rate to maintain the temperature below +10° C. in order to quench the reaction and to form a homogenous solution. (Caution: this reaction is initially very strongly exothermic). Approximately one-half of the reaction volume (22 L) was transferred by air pump to another vessel, diluted with EtOAc (12 L) and extracted with water (2×8 L). The second half of the reaction was treated in the same way. The combined aqueous layers were back-extracted with EtOAc (8 L) The organic layers were combined and concentrated in a 20 L rotary evaporator to an oily foam. The foam was co-evaporated with anhydrous acetonitrile (4 L) to remove EtOAc. (note: dioxane may be used instead of anhydrous acetonitrile if dried to a hard foam). The residue was dissolved in dioxane (2 L) and concentrated ammonium hydroxide (750 mL) was added. A homogenous solution formed in a few minutes and the reaction was allowed to stand overnight

[0169] TLC indicated a complete reaction (CH₂Cl₂-acetone-MeOH, 20:5:3, R_(f) 0.51). The reaction solution was concentrated on a rotary evaporator to a dense foam and slowly redissolved in warm CH₂Cl₂ (4 L, 40° C.) and transferred to a 20 L glass extraction vessel equipped with a air-powered stirrer. The organic layer was extracted with water (2×6 L) to remove the triazole by-product. (Note: In the first extraction an emulsion formed which took about 2 h to resolve). The water layer was back-extracted with CH₂Cl₂ (2×2 L), which in turn was washed with water (3 L). The combined organic layer was concentrated in 2×20 L flasks to a gum and then recrystallized from EtOAc seeded with crystalline product. After sitting overnight, the first crop was collected on a 25 cm Coors Buchner funnel and washed repeatedly with EtOAc until a white free-flowing powder was left (about 3×3 L). The filtrate was concentrated to an oil recrystallized from EtOAc, and collected as above. The solid was air-dried in pans for 48 h, then further dried in a vacuum oven (50° C., 0.1 mm Hg, 17 h) to afford 2248 g of a bright white, dense solid (86%). An HPLC analysis indicated both crops to be 99.4% pure and NMR spectroscopy indicated only a faint trace of EtOAc remained.

[0170] Preparation of 5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-N4-benzoyl-5-methyl-cytidine Penultimate Intermediate:

[0171] Crystalline 5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-5-methyl-cytidine (1000 g, 1.62 mol) was suspended in anhydrous DMF (3 kg) at ambient temperature and stirred under an Ar atmosphere. Benzoic anhydride (439.3 g, 1.94 mol) was added in one portion. The solution clarified after 5 hours and was stirred for 16 h. HPLC indicated 0.45% starting material remained (as well as 0.32% N4, 3′-O-bis Benzoyl). An additional amount of benzoic anhydride (6.0 g, 0.0265 mol) was added and after 17 h, HPLC indicated no starting material was present. TEA (450 mL, 3.24 mol) and toluene (6 L) were added with stirring for 1 minute. The solution was washed with water (4×4 L), and brine (2×4 L). The organic layer was partially evaporated on a 20 L rotary evaporator to remove 4 L of toluene and traces of water. HPLC indicated that the bis benzoyl side product was present as a 6% impurity. The residue was diluted with toluene (7 L) and anhydrous DMSO (200 mL, 2.82 mol) and sodium hydride (60% in oil, 70 g, 1.75 mol) was added in one portion with stirring at ambient temperature over 1 h. The reaction was quenched by slowly adding then washing with aqueous citric acid (10%, 100 mL over 10 min, then 2×4 L), followed by aqueous sodium bicarbonate (2%, 2 L), water (2×4 L) and brine (4 L). The organic layer was concentrated on a 20 L rotary evaporator to about 2 L total volume. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (6 L Buchner funnel containing 1.5 kg of silica gel wetted with a solution of EtOAc-hexanes-TEA(70:29:1)). The product was eluted with the same solvent (30 L) followed by straight EtOAc (6 L). The fractions containing the product were combined, concentrated on a rotary evaporator to a foam and then dried in a vacuum oven (50° C., 0.2 mm Hg, 8 h) to afford 1155 g of a crisp, white foam (98%). HPLC indicated a purity of >99.7%.

[0172] Preparation of [≡′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-N⁴-benzoyl-5-methylcytidin-3′-O-yl]-2-cyanoethyl-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite (MOE 5-Me-C amidite)

[0173] 5′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-N⁴-benzoyl-5-methylcytidine (1082 g, 1.5 mol) was dissolved in anhydrous DMF (2 L) and co-evaporated with toluene (300 ml) at 50° C. under reduced pressure. The mixture was cooled to room temperature and 2-cyanoethyl tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite (680 g, 2.26 mol) and tetrazole (52.5 g, 0.75 mol) were added. The mixture was shaken until all tetrazole was dissolved, N-methylimidazole (30 ml) was added, and the mixture was left at room temperature for 5 hours. TEA (300 ml) was added, the mixture was diluted with DMF (1 L) and water (400 ml) and extracted with hexane (3×3 L). The mixture was diluted with water (1.2 L) and extracted with a mixture of toluene (9 L) and hexanes (6 L). The two layers were separated and the upper layer was washed with DMF-water (60:40 v/v, 3×3 L) and water (3×2 L). The organic layer was dried (Na₂SO₄), filtered and evaporated. The residue was co-evaporated with acetonitrile (2×2 L) under reduced pressure and dried in a vacuum oven (25° C., 0.1 mm Hg, 40 h) to afford 1336 g of an off-white foam (97%).

[0174] Preparation of [5′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-N⁶-benzoyladenosin-3′-O-yl]-2-cyanoethyl-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite (MOE Aamdite)

[0175] 5′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-N⁶-benzoyladenosine (purchased from Reliable Biopharmaceutical, St. Lois, Mo.), 1098 g, 1.5 mol) was dissolved in anhydrous DMF (3 L) and co-evaporated with toluene (300 ml) at 50° C. The mixture was cooled to room temperature and 2-cyanoethyl tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite (680 g, 2.26 mol) and tetrazole (78.8 g, 1.24 mol) were added. The mixture was shaken until all tetrazole was dissolved, N-methylimidazole (30 ml) was added, and mixture was left at room temperature for 5 hours. TEA (300 ml) was added, the mixture was diluted with DMF (1 L) and water (400 ml) and extracted with hexanes (3×3 L). The mixture was diluted with water (1.4 L) and extracted with the mixture of toluene (9 L) and hexanes (6 L). The two layers were separated and the upper layer was washed with DMF-water (60:40, v/v, 3×3 L) and water (3×2 L). The organic layer was dried (Na₂SO₄), filtered and evaporated to a sticky foam. The residue was co-evaporated with acetonitrile (2.5 L) under reduced pressure and dried in a vacuum oven (25° C., 0.1 mm Hg, 40 h) to afford 1350 g of an off-white foam solid (96%).

[0176] Prepartion of [5′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl) -N⁴-isobutyrylguanosin-3′-O-yl]-2-cyanoethyl-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite (MOE G amidite)

[0177] 5′-O-(4,4′-Dimethoxytriphenylmethyl)-2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)-N⁴-isobutyrlguanosine (purchased from Reliable Biopharmaceutical, St. Louis, Mo., 1426 g, 2.0 mol) was dissolved in anhydrous DMF (2 L). The solution was co-evaporated with toluene (200 ml) at 50° C., cooled to room temperature and 2-cyanoethyl tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite (900 g, 3.0 mol) and tetrazole (68 g, 0.97 mol) were added. The mixture was shaken until all tetrazole was dissolved, N-methylimidazole (30 ml) was added, and the mixture was left at room temperature for 5 hours. TEA (300 ml) was added, the mixture was diluted with DMF (2 L) and water (600 ml) and extracted with hexanes (3×3 L). The mixture was diluted with water (2 L) and extracted with a mixture of toluene (10 L) and hexanes (5 L). The two layers were separated and the upper layer was washed with DMF-water (60:40, v/v, 3×3 L). EtOAc (4 L) was added and the solution was washed with water (3×4 L). The organic layer was dried (Na₂SO₄), filtered and evaporated to approx. 4 kg. Hexane (4 L) was added, the mixture was shaken for 10 min, and the supernatant liquid was decanted. The residue was co-evaporated with acetonitrile (2×2 L) under reduced pressure and dried in a vacuum oven (25° C., 0.1 mm Hg, 40 h) to afford 1660 g of an off-white foamy solid (91%).

[0178] 2′-O-(Aminooxyethyl) nucleoside amidites and 2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl) nucleoside amidites

[0179] 2′-(Dimethylaminooxyethoxy) nucleoside amidites

[0180] 2′-(Dimethylaminooxyethoxy) nucleoside amidites (also known in the art as 2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl) nucleoside amidites) are prepared as described in the following paragraphs. Adenosine, cytidine and guanosine nucleoside amidites are prepared similarly to the thymidine (5-methyluridine) except the exocyclic amines are protected with a benzoyl moiety in the case of adenosine and cytidine and with isobutyryl in the case of guanosine.

[0181] 5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-O²-2′-anhydro-5-methyluridine

[0182] O²-2′-anhydro-5-methyluridine (Pro. Bio. Sint., Varese, Italy, 100.0 g, 0.416 mmol), dimethylaminopyridine (0.66 g, 0.013 eq, 0.0054 mmol) were dissolved in dry pyridine (500 ml) at ambient temperature under an argon atmosphere and with mechanical stirring. tert-Butyldiphenylchlorosilane (125.8 g, 119.0 mL, 1.1 eq, 0.458 mmol) was added in one portion. The reaction was stirred for 16 h at ambient temperature. TLC (R_(f) 0.22, EtOAc) indicated a complete reaction. The solution was concentrated under reduced pressure to a thick oil. This was partitioned between CH₂Cl₂ (1 L) and saturated sodium bicarbonate (2×1 L) and brine (1 L). The organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure to a thick oil. The oil was dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of EtOAc and ethyl ether (600 mL) and cooling the solution to −10° C. afforded a white crystalline solid which was collected by filtration, washed with ethyl ether (3×200 mL) and dried (40° C., 1 mm Hg, 24 h) to afford 149 g of white solid (74.8%). TLC and NMR spectroscopy were consistent with pure product.

[0183] 5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5-methyluridine

[0184] In the fume hood, ethylene glycol (350 mL, excess) was added cautiously with manual stirring to a 2 L stainless steel pressure reactor containing borane in tetrahydrofuran (1.0 M, 2.0 eq, 622 mL). (Caution: evolves hydrogen gas). 5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-O²-2′-anhydro-5-methyluridine (149 g, 0.311 mol) and sodium bicarbonate (0.074 g, 0.003 eq) were added with manual stirring. The reactor was sealed and heated in an oil bath until an internal temperature of 160° C. was reached and then maintained for 16 h (pressure<100 psig). The reaction vessel was cooled to ambient temperature and opened. TLC (EtOAc, R_(f) 0.67 for desired product and R_(f) 0.82 for ara-T side product) indicated about 70% conversion to the product. The solution was concentrated under reduced pressure (10 to 1 mm Hg) in a warm water bath (40-100° C.) with the more extreme conditions used to remove the ethylene glycol. (Alternatively, once the THF has evaporated the solution can be diluted with water and the product extracted into EtOAc). The residue was purified by column chromatography (2 kg silica gel, EtOAc-hexanes gradient 1:1 to 4:1). The appropriate fractions were combined, evaporated and dried to afford 84 g of a white crisp foam (50%), contaminated starting material (17.4 g, 12% recovery) and pure reusable starting material (20 g, 13% recovery). TLC and NMR spectroscopy were consistent with 99% pure product.

[0185] 2′-O-([2-phthalimidoxy)ethyl]-5′-t-butyldiphenylsilyl-5-methyluridine

[0186] 5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (20 g, 36.98 mmol) was mixed with triphenylphosphine (11.63 g, 44.36 mmol) and N-hydroxyphthalimide (7.24 g, 44.36 mmol) and dried over P₂O₅ under high vacuum for two days at 40° C. The reaction mixture was flushed with argon and dissolved in dry THF (369.8 mL, Aldrich, sure seal bottle). Diethyl-azodicarboxylate (6.98 mL, 44.36 mmol) was added dropwise to the reaction mixture with the rate of addition maintained such that the resulting deep red coloration is just discharged before adding the next drop. The reaction mixture was stirred for 4 hrs., after which time TLC (EtOAc:hexane, 60:40) indicated that the reaction was complete. The solvent was evaporated in vacuuo and the residue purified by flash column chromatography (eluted with 60:40 EtOAc:hexane), to yield 2′-O-([2-phthalimidoxy)ethyl]-5′-t-butyldiphenylsilyl-5-methyluridine as white foam (21.819 g, 86%) upon rotary evaporation.

[0187] 5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[(2-formadoximinooxy)ethyl]-5-methyluridine

[0188] 2′-O-([2-phthalimidoxy)ethyl]-5′-t-butyldiphenylsilyl-5-methyluridine (3.1 g, 4.5 mmol) was dissolved in dry CH₂Cl₂ (4.5 mL) and methylhydrazine (300 mL, 4.64 mmol) was added dropwise at −10° C. to 0° C. After 1 h the mixture was filtered, the filtrate washed with ice cold CH₂Cl₂, and the combined organic phase was washed with water and brine and dried (anhydrous Na₂SO₄). The solution was filtered and evaporated to afford 2′-O-(aminooxyethyl) thymidine, which was then dissolved in MeOH (67.5 mL). Formaldehyde (20% aqueous solution, w/w, 1.1 eq.) was added and the resulting mixture was stirred for 1 h. The solvent was removed under vacuum and the residue was purified by column chromatography to yield 5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[(2-formadoximinooxy)ethyl]-5-methyluridine as white foam (1.95 g, 78%) upon rotary evaporation.

[0189] 5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[N,N dimethylaminooxyethyl]-5-methyluridine

[0190] 5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[(2-formadoximinooxy)ethyl]-5-methyluridine (1.77 g, 3.12 mmol) was dissolved in a solution of 1M pyridinium p-toluenesulfonate (PPTS) in dry MeOH (30.6 mL) and cooled to 10° C. under inert atmosphere. Sodium cyanoborohydride (0.39 g, 6.13 mmol) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred. After 10 minutes the reaction was warmed to room temperature and stirred for 2 h. while the progress of the reaction was monitored by TLC (5% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂). Aqueous NaHCO₃ solution (5%, 10 mL) was added and the product was extracted with EtOAc (2×20 mL). The organic phase was dried over anhydrous Na₂SO₄, filtered, and evaporated to dryness. This entire procedure was repeated with the resulting residue, with the exception that formaldehyde (20% w/w, 30 mL, 3.37 mol) was added upon dissolution of the residue in the PPTS/MeOH solution. After the extraction and evaporation, the residue was purified by flash column chromatography and (eluted with 5% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂) to afford 5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[N,N-dimethylaminooxyethyl]-5-methyluridine as a white foam (14.6 g, 80%) upon rotary evaporation.

[0191] 2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine

[0192] Triethylamine trihydrofluoride (3.91 mL, 24.0 mmol) was dissolved in dry THF and TEA (1.67 mL, 12 mmol, dry, stored over KOH) and added to 5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[N,N-dimethylaminooxyethyl]-5-methyluridine (1.40 g, 2.4 mmol). The reaction was stirred at room temperature for 24 hrs and monitored by TLC (5% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂). The solvent was removed under vacuum and the residue purified by flash column chromatography (eluted with 10% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂) to afford 2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (766 mg, 92.5%) upon rotary evaporation of the solvent.

[0193] 5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine

[0194] 2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (750 mg, 2.17 mmol) was dried over P₂O₅ under high vacuum overnight at 40° C., co-evaporated with anhydrous pyridine (20 mL), and dissolved in pyridine (11 mL) under argon atmosphere. 4-dimethylaminopyridine (26.5 mg, 2.60 mmol) and 4,4′-dimethoxytrityl chloride (880 mg, 2.60 mmol) were added to the pyridine solution and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature until all of the starting material had reacted. Pyridine was removed under vacuum and the residue was purified by column chromatography (eluted with 10% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂ containing a few drops of pyridine) to yield 5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(dimethylamino-oxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (1.13 g, 80%) upon rotary evaporation.

[0195] 5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(2-N,N-dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine-3′-[(2-cyanoethyl)-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite]

[0196] 5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (1.08 g, 1.67 mmol) was co-evaporated with toluene (20 mL), N,N-diisopropylamine tetrazonide (0.29 g, 1.67 mmol) was added and the mixture was dried over P₂O₅ under high vacuum overnight at 40° C. This was dissolved in anhydrous acetonitrile (8.4 mL) and 2-cyanoethyl-N,N,N¹,N¹-tetraisopropylphosphoramidite (2.12 mL, 6.08 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at ambient temperature for 4 h under inert atmosphere. The progress of the reaction was monitored by TLC (hexane:EtOAc 1:1). The solvent was evaporated, then the residue was dissolved in EtOAc (70 mL) and washed with 5% aqueous NaHCO₃ (40 mL). The EtOAc layer was dried over anhydrous Na₂SO₄, filtered, and concentrated. The residue obtained was purified by column chromatography (EtOAc as eluent) to afford 5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(2-N,N-dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine-3′-[(2-cyanoethyl)-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite] as a foam (1.04 g, 74.9%) upon rotary evaporation.

[0197] 2′-(Aminooxyethoxy) nucleoside amidites

[0198] 2′-(Aminooxyethoxy) nucleoside amidites (also known in the art as 2′-O-(aminooxyethyl) nucleoside amidites) are prepared as described in the following paragraphs. Adenosine, cytidine and thymidine nucleoside amidites are prepared similarly.

[0199] N2-isobutyryl-6-O-diphenylcarbamoyl-2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl)-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine-3′-[(2-cyanoethyl)-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite]

[0200] The 2′-O-aminooxyethyl guanosine analog may be obtained by selective 2′-O-alkylation of diaminopurine riboside. Multigram quantities of diaminopurine riboside may be purchased from Schering AG (Berlin) to provide 2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl) diaminopurine riboside along with a minor amount of the 3′-O-isomer. 2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl) diaminopurine riboside may be resolved and converted to 2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl)guanosine by treatment with adenosine deaminase. (McGee, D. P. C., Cook, P. D., Guinosso, C. J., WO 94/02501 A1 940203.) Standard protection procedures should afford 2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl)-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine and 2-N-isobutyryl-6-O-diphenylcarbamoyl-2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl)-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine which may be reduced to provide 2-N-isobutyryl-6-O-diphenylcarbamoyl-2′-O-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine. As before the hydroxyl group may be displaced by N-hydroxyphthalimide via a Mitsunobu reaction, and the protected nucleoside may be phosphitylated as usual to yield 2-N-isobutyryl-6-O-diphenylcarbamoyl-2′-O-([2-phthalmidoxy]ethyl)-5′-O-4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine-3′-[(2-cyanoethyl)-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite].

[0201] 2′-dimethylaminoethoxyethoxy (2′-DMAEOE) nucleoside amidites

[0202] 2′-dimethylaminoethoxyethoxy nucleoside amidites (also known in the art as 2′-O-dimethylaminoethoxyethyl, i.e., 2′-O—CH₂—O—CH₂—N(CH₂)₂, or 2′-DMAEOE nucleoside amidites) are prepared as follows. Other nucleoside amidites are prepared similarly.

[0203] 2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylaminoethoxy)ethyl]-5-methyl uridine

[0204] 2[2-(Dimethylamino)ethoxy]ethanol (Aldrich, 6.66 g, 50 mmol) was slowly added to a solution of borane in tetrahydrofuran (1 M, 10 mL, 10 mmol) with stirring in a 100 mL bomb. (Caution: Hydrogen gas evolves as the solid dissolves). O²-, 2′-anhydro-5-methyluridine (1.2 g, 5 mmol), and sodium bicarbonate (2.5 mg) were added and the bomb was sealed, placed in an oil bath and heated to 155° C. for 26 h. then cooled to room temperature. The crude solution was concentrated, the residue was diluted with water (200 mL) and extracted with hexanes (200 mL). The product was extracted from the aqueous layer with EtOAc (3×200 mL) and the combined organic layers were washed once with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (eluted with 5:100:2 MeOH/CH₂Cl₂/TEA) as the eluent. The appropriate fractions were combined and evaporated to afford the product as a white solid.

[0205] 5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylaminoethoxy)-ethyl)]-5-methyl uridine

[0206] To 0.5 g (1.3 mmol) of 2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylamino-ethoxy)ethyl)]-5-methyl uridine in anhydrous pyridine (8 mL), was added TEA (0.36 mL) and dimethoxytrityl chloride (DMT-Cl, 0.87 g, 2 eq.) and the reaction was stirred for 1 h. The reaction mixture was poured into water (200 mL) and extracted with CH₂Cl₂ (2×200 mL). The combined CH₂Cl₂ layers were washed with saturated NaHCO₃ solution, followed by saturated NaCl solution, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated. The residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (eluted with 5:100:1 MeOH/CH₂Cl₂/TEA) to afford the product.

[0207] 5′-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylaminoethoxy)ethyl)]-5-methyl uridine-3′-O-(cyanoethyl-N,N-diisopropyl)phosphoramidite

[0208] Diisopropylaminotetrazolide (0.6 g) and 2-cyanoethoxy-N,N-diisopropyl phosphoramidite (1.1 mL, 2 eq.) were added to a solution of 5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylaminoethoxy)ethyl)]-5-methyluridine (2.17 g, 3 mmol) dissolved in CH₂Cl₂ (20 mL) under an atmosphere of argon. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight and the solvent evaporated. The resulting residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography with EtOAc as the eluent to afford the title compound.

Example 2

[0209] Oligonucleotide Synthesis

[0210] Unsubstituted and substituted phosphodiester (P═O) oligonucleotides are synthesized on an automated DNA synthesizer (Applied Biosystems model 394) using standard phosphoramidite chemistry with oxidation by iodine.

[0211] Phosphorothioates (P═S) are synthesized similar to phosphodiester oligonucleotides with the following exceptions: thiation was effected by utilizing a 10% w/v solution of 3H-1,2-benzodithiole-3-one 1,1-dioxide in acetonitrile for the oxidation of the phosphite linkages. The thiation reaction step time was increased to 180 sec and preceded by the normal capping step. After cleavage from the CPG column and deblocking in concentrated ammonium hydroxide at 55° C. (12-16 hr), the oligonucleotides were recovered by precipitating with >3 volumes of ethanol from a 1 M NH₄oAc solution. Phosphinate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,270, herein incorporated by reference.

[0212] Alkyl phosphonate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,863, herein incorporated by reference.

[0213] 3′-Deoxy-3′-methylene phosphonate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,610,289 or 5,625,050, herein incorporated by reference.

[0214] Phosphoramidite oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,256,775 or 5,366,878, herein incorporated by reference.

[0215] Alkylphosphonothioate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in published PCT applications PCT/US94/00902 and PCT/US93/06976 (published as WO 94/17093 and WO 94/02499, respectively), herein incorporated by reference.

[0216] 3′-Deoxy-3′-amino phosphoramidate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,925, herein incorporated by reference.

[0217] Phosphotriester oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,243, herein incorporated by reference.

[0218] Borano phosphate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,130,302 and 5,177,198, both herein incorporated by reference.

Example 3

[0219] Oligonucleoside Synthesis

[0220] Methylenemethylimino linked oligonucleosides, also identified as MMI linked oligonucleosides, methylenedimethylhydrazo linked oligonucleosides, also identified as MDH linked oligonucleosides, and methylenecarbonylamino linked oligonucleosides, also identified as amide-3 linked oligonucleosides, and methyleneaminocarbonyl linked oligonucleosides, also identified as amide-4 linked oligonucleosides, as well as mixed backbone compounds having, for instance, alternating MMI and P═O or P═S linkages are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,378,825, 5,386,023, 5,489,677, 5,602,240 and 5,610,289, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.

[0221] Formacetal and thioformacetal linked oligonucleosides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,264,562 and 5,264,564, herein incorporated by reference.

[0222] Ethylene oxide linked oligonucleosides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,618, herein incorporated by reference.

Example 4

[0223] PNA Synthesis

[0224] Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are prepared in accordance with any of the various procedures referred to in Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNA): Synthesis, Properties and Potential Applications, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 1996, 4, 5-23. They may also be prepared in accordance with U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,082, 5,700,922, and 5,719,262, herein incorporated by reference.

Example 5

[0225] Synthesis of Chimeric Oligonucleotides

[0226] Chimeric oligonucleotides, oligonucleosides or mixed oligonucleotides/oligonucleosides of the invention can be of several different types. These include a first type wherein the “gap” segment of linked nucleosides is positioned between 5′ and 3′ “wing” segments of linked nucleosides and a second “open end” type wherein the “gap” segment is located at either the 3′ or the 5′ terminus of the oligomeric compound. Oligonucleotides of the first type are also known in the art as “gapmers” or gapped oligonucleotides. Oligonucleotides of the second type are also known in the art as “hemimers” or “wingmers”.

[0227] [2′-O-Me]--[2′-deoxy]--[2′-O-Me] Chimeric Phosphorothioate oligonucleotides

[0228] Chimeric oligonucleotides having 2′-O-alkyl phosphorothioate and 2′-deoxy phosphorothioate oligonucleotide segments are synthesized using an Applied Biosystems automated DNA synthesizer Model 394, as above. Oligonucleotides are synthesized using the automated synthesizer and 2′-deoxy-5′-dimethoxytrityl-3′-O-phosphoramidite for the DNA portion and 5′-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-methyl-3′-O-phosphoramidite for 5′ and 3′ wings. The standard synthesis cycle is modified by incorporating coupling steps with increased reaction times for the 5′-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-methyl-3′-O-phosphoramidite. The fully protected oligonucleotide is cleaved from the support and deprotected in concentrated ammonia (NH₄OH) for 12-16 hr at 55° C. The deprotected oligo is then recovered by an appropriate method (precipitation, column chromatography, volume reduced in vacuo and analyzed spetrophotometrically for yield and for purity by capillary electrophoresis and by mass spectrometry.

[0229] [2′-O-(2-Methoxyethyl)]--[2′-deoxy]--[2′-O-(Methoxyethyl)] Chimeric Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides

[0230] [2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)]--[2′-deoxy]--[-2′-O-(methoxyethyl)] chimeric phosphorothioate oligonucleotides were prepared as per the procedure above for the 2′-O-methyl chimeric oligonucleotide, with the substitution of 2′-O-(methoxyethyl) amidites for the 2′-O-methyl amidites.

[0231] [2′-O-(2-Methoxyethyl)Phosphodiester]--[2′-deoxy Phosphorothioate]--[2′-O-(2-Methoxyethyl) Phosphodiester] Chimeric Oligonucleotides

[0232] [2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl phosphodiester]--[2′-deoxy phosphorothioate]--[2′-O-(methoxyethyl) phosphodiester] chimeric oligonucleotides are prepared as per the above procedure for the 2′-O-methyl chimeric oligonucleotide with the substitution of 2′-O-(methoxyethyl) amidites for the 2′-O-methyl amidites, oxidation with iodine to generate the phosphodiester internucleotide linkages within the wing portions of the chimeric structures and sulfurization utilizing 3,H-1,2benzodithiole-3-one 1,1 dioxide (Beaucage Reagent) to generate the phosphorothioate internucleotide linkages for the center gap.

[0233] Other chimeric oligonucleotides, chimeric oligonucleosides and mixed chimeric oligonucleotides/oligonucleosides are synthesized according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,065, herein incorporated by reference.

Example 6

[0234] Oligonucleotide Isolation

[0235] After cleavage from the controlled pore glass solid support and deblocking in concentrated ammonium hydroxide at 55° C. for 12-16 hours, the oligonucleotides or oligonucleosides are recovered by precipitation out of 1 M NH₄OAc with >3 volumes of ethanol. Synthesized oligonucleotides were analyzed by electrospray mass spectroscopy (molecular weight determination) and by capillary gel electrophoresis and judged to be at least 70% full length material. The relative amounts of phosphorothioate and phosphodiester linkages obtained in the synthesis was determined by the ratio of correct molecular weight relative to the −16 amu product (+/−32 +/−48). For some studies oligonucleotides were purified by HPLC, as described by Chiang et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1991, 266, 18162-18171. Results obtained with HPLC-purified material were similar to those obtained with non-HPLC purified material.

Example 7

[0236] Oligonucleotide Synthesis—96 Well Plate Format

[0237] Oligonucleotides were synthesized via solid phase P(III) phosphoramidite chemistry on an automated synthesizer capable of assembling 96 sequences simultaneously in a 96-well format. Phosphodiester internucleotide linkages were afforded by oxidation with aqueous iodine. Phosphorothioate internucleotide linkages were generated by sulfurization utilizing 3,H-1,2benzodithiole-3-one 1,1 dioxide (Beaucage Reagent) in anhydrous acetonitrile. Standard base-protected beta-cyanoethyl-diiso-propyl phosphoramidites were purchased from commercial vendors (e.g. PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif., or Pharmacia, Piscataway, N.J.). Non-standard nucleosides are synthesized as per standard or patented methods. They are utilized as base protected beta-cyanoethyldiisopropyl phosphoramidites.

[0238] Oligonucleotides were cleaved from support and deprotected with concentrated NH₄OH at elevated temperature (55-60° C.) for 12-16 hours and the released product then dried in vacuo. The dried product was then re-suspended in sterile water to afford a master plate from which all analytical and test plate samples are then diluted utilizing robotic pipettors.

Example 8

[0239] Oligonucleotide Analysis—96-Well Plate Format

[0240] The concentration of oligonucleotide in each well was assessed by dilution of samples and UV absorption spectroscopy. The full-length integrity of the individual products was evaluated by capillary electrophoresis (CE) in either the 96-well format (Beckman P/ACE™ MDQ) or, for individually prepared samples, on a commercial CE apparatus (e.g., Beckman P/ACE™ 5000, ABI 270). Base and backbone composition was confirmed by mass analysis of the compounds utilizing electrospray-mass spectroscopy. All assay test plates were diluted from the master plate using single and multi-channel robotic pipettors. Plates were judged to be acceptable if at least 85% of the compounds on the plate were at least 85% full length.

Example 9

[0241] Cell Culture and Oligonucleotide Treatment

[0242] The effect of antisense compounds on target nucleic acid expression can be tested in any of a variety of cell types provided that the target nucleic acid is present at measurable levels. This can be routinely determined using, for example, PCR or Northern blot analysis. The following cell types are provided for illustrative purposes, but other cell types can be routinely used, provided that the target is expressed in the cell type chosen. This can be readily determined by methods routine in the art, for example Northern blot analysis, ribonuclease protection assays, or RT-PCR.

[0243] T-24 Cells:

[0244] The human transitional cell bladder carcinoma cell line T-24 was obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) (Manassas, Va.). T-24 cells were routinely cultured in complete McCoy's 5A basal media (Invitrogen Corporation, Carlsbad, Calif.) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (Invitrogen Corporation, Carlsbad, Calif.), penicillin 100 units per mL, and streptomycin 100 micrograms per mL (Invitrogen Corporation, Carlsbad, Calif.). Cells were routinely passaged by trypsinization and dilution when they reached 90% confluence. Cells were seeded into 96-well plates (Falcon-Primaria #3872) at a density of 7000 cells/well for use in RT-PCR analysis.

[0245] For Northern blotting or other analysis, cells may be seeded onto 100 mm or other standard tissue culture plates and treated similarly, using appropriate volumes of medium and oligonucleotide.

[0246] A549 Cells:

[0247] The human lung carcinoma cell line A549 was obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) (Manassas, Va.). A549 cells were routinely cultured in DMEM basal media (Invitrogen Corporation, Carlsbad, Calif.) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (Invitrogen Corporation, Carlsbad, Calif.), penicillin 100 units per mL, and streptomycin 100 micrograms per mL (Invitrogen Corporation, Carlsbad, Calif.). Cells were routinely passaged by trypsinization and dilution when they reached 90% confluence.

[0248] NHDF Cells:

[0249] Human neonatal dermal fibroblast (NHDF) were obtained from the Clonetics Corporation (Walkersville, Md.). NHDFs were routinely maintained in Fibroblast Growth Medium (Clonetics Corporation, Walkersville, Md.) supplemented as recommended by the supplier. Cells were maintained for up to 10 passages as recommended by the supplier.

[0250] HEK Cells:

[0251] Human embryonic keratinocytes (HEK) were obtained from the Clonetics Corporation (Walkersville, Md.). HEKs were routinely maintained in Keratinocyte Growth Medium (Clonetics Corporation, Walkersville, Md.) formulated as recommended by the supplier. Cells were routinely maintained for up to 10 passages as recommended by the supplier.

[0252] b.END Cells:

[0253] The mouse brain endothelial cell line b.END was obtained from Dr. Werner Risau at the Max Plank Instititute (Bad Nauheim, Germany). b.END cells were routinely cultured in DMEM, high glucose (Gibco/Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (Gibco/Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.). Cells were routinely passaged by trypsinization and dilution when they reached 90% confluence. Cells were seeded into 96-well plates (Falcon-Primaria #3872) at a density of 3000 cells/well for use in RT-PCR analysis.

[0254] For Northern blotting or other analyses, cells may be seeded onto 100 mm or other standard tissue culture plates and treated similarly, using appropriate volumes of medium and oligonucleotide.

[0255] Treatment with Antisense Compounds:

[0256] When cells reached 70% confluency, they were treated with oligonucleotide. For cells grown in 96-well plates, wells were washed once with 100 μL OPTI-MEM™-1 reduced-serum medium (Invitrogen Corporation, Carlsbad, Calif.) and then treated with 130 μL of OPTI-MEM™-1 containing 3.75 μg/mL LIPOFECTIN™ (Invitrogen Corporation, Carlsbad, Calif.) and the desired concentration of oligonucleotide. After 4-7 hours of treatment, the medium was replaced with fresh medium. Cells were harvested 16-24 hours after oligonucleotide treatment.

[0257] The concentration of oligonucleotide used varies from cell line to cell line. To determine the optimal oligonucleotide concentration for a particular cell line, the cells are treated with a positive control oligonucleotide at a range of concentrations. For human cells the positive control oligonucleotide is selected from either ISIS 13920 (TCCGTCATCGCTCCTCAGGG, SEQ ID NO: 1) which is targeted to human H-ras, or ISIS 18078, (GTGCGCGCGAGCCCGAAATC, SEQ ID NO: 2) which is targeted to human Jun-N-terminal kinase-2 (JNK2). Both controls are 2′-O-methoxyethyl gapmers (2′-O-methoxyethyls shown in bold) with a phosphorothioate backbone. For mouse or rat cells the positive control oligonucleotide is ISIS 15770, ATGCATTCTGCCCCCAAGGA, SEQ ID NO: 3, a 2′-O-methoxyethyl gapmer (2′-O-methoxyethyls shown in bold) with a phosphorothioate backbone which is targeted to both mouse and rat c-raf. The concentration of positive control oligonucleotide that results in 80% inhibition of c-H-ras (for ISIS 13920), JNK2 (for ISIS 18078) or c-raf (for ISIS 15770) mRNA is then utilized as the screening concentration for new oligonucleotides in subsequent experiments for that cell line. If 80% inhibition is not achieved, the lowest concentration of positive control oligonucleotide that results in 60% inhibition of c-H-ras, JNK2 or c-raf mRNA is then utilized as the oligonucleotide screening concentration in subsequent experiments for that cell line. If 60% inhibition is not achieved, that particular cell line is deemed as unsuitable for oligonucleotide transfection experiments. The concentrations of antisense oligonucleotides used herein are from 50 nM to 300 nM.

Example 10

[0258] Analysis of Oligonucleotide Inhibition of Fatty Acid Synthase Expression

[0259] Antisense modulation of fatty acid synthase expression can be assayed in a variety of ways known in the art. For example, fatty acid synthase mRNA levels can be quantitated by, e.g., Northern blot analysis, competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR), or real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Real-time quantitative PCR is presently preferred. RNA analysis can be performed on total cellular RNA or poly(A)+mRNA. The preferred method of RNA analysis of the present invention is the use of total cellular RNA as described in other examples herein. Methods of RNA isolation are taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 1, pp. 4.1.1-4.2.9 and 4.5.1-4.5.3, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1993. Northern blot analysis is routine in the art and is taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 1, pp. 4.2.1-4.2.9, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996. Real-time quantitative (PCR) can be conveniently accomplished using the commercially available ABI PRISM™ 7700 Sequence Detection System, available from PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif. and used according to manufacturer's instructions.

[0260] Protein levels of fatty acid synthase can be quantitated in a variety of ways well known in the art, such as immunoprecipitation, Western blot analysis (immunoblotting), ELISA or fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Antibodies directed to fatty acid synthase can be identified and obtained from a variety of sources, such as the MSRS catalog of antibodies (Aerie Corporation, Birmingham, Miss.), or can be prepared via conventional antibody generation methods. Methods for preparation of polyclonal antisera are taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., (Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 11.12.1-11.12.9, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997). Preparation of monoclonal antibodies is taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., (Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 11.4.1-11.11.5, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997).

[0261] Immunoprecipitation methods are standard in the art and can be found at, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., (Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 10.16.1-10.16.11, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998). Western blot (immunoblot) analysis is standard in the art and can be found at, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., (Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 10.8.1-10.8.21, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are standard in the art and can be found at, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., (Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 11.2.1-11.2.22, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1991).

Example 11

[0262] Poly(A)+mRNA isolation

[0263] Poly(A)+mRNA was isolated according to Miura et al., (Clin. Chem., 1996, 42, 1758-1764). Other methods for poly(A)+mRNA isolation are taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., (Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 1, pp. 4.5.1-4.5.3, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1993). Briefly, for cells grown on 96-well plates, growth medium was removed from the cells and each well was washed with 200 μL cold PBS. 60 μL lysis buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.6, 1 mM EDTA, 0.5 M NaCl, 0.5% NP-40, 20 mM vanadyl-ribonucleoside complex) was added to each well, the plate was gently agitated and then incubated at room temperature for five minutes. 55 μL of lysate was transferred to Oligo d(T) coated 96-well plates (AGCT Inc., Irvine Calif.). Plates were incubated for 60 minutes at room temperature, washed 3 times with 200 μL of wash buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.6, 1 mM EDTA, 0.3 M NaCl). After the final wash, the plate was blotted on paper towels to remove excess wash buffer and then air-dried for 5 minutes. 60 μL of elution buffer (5 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.6), preheated to 70° C., was added to each well, the plate was incubated on a 90° C. hot plate for 5 minutes, and the eluate was then transferred to a fresh 96-well plate.

[0264] Cells grown on 100 mm or other standard plates may be treated similarly, using appropriate volumes of all solutions.

Example 12

[0265] Total RNA Isolation

[0266] Total RNA was isolated using an RNEASY 96™ kit and buffers purchased from Qiagen Inc. (Valencia, Calif.) following the manufacturer's recommended procedures. Briefly, for cells grown on 96-well plates, growth medium was removed from the cells and each well was washed with 200 μL cold PBS. 150 μL Buffer RLT was added to each well and the plate vigorously agitated for 20 seconds. 150 μL of 70% ethanol was then added to each well and the contents mixed by pipetting three times up and down. The samples were then transferred to the RNEASY 96™ well plate attached to a QIAVAC™ manifold fitted with a waste collection tray and attached to a vacuum source. Vacuum was applied for 1 minute. 500 μL of Buffer RW1 was added to each well of the RNEASY 96™ plate and incubated for 15 minutes and the vacuum was again applied for 1 minute. An additional 500 μL of Buffer RW1 was added to each well of the RNEASY 96™ plate and the vacuum was applied for 2 minutes. 1 mL of Buffer RPE was then added to each well of the RNEASY 96™ plate and the vacuum applied for a period of 90 seconds. The Buffer RPE wash was then repeated and the vacuum was applied for an additional 3 minutes. The plate was then removed from the QIAVAC™ manifold and blotted dry on paper towels. The plate was then re-attached to the QIAVAC™ manifold fitted with a collection tube rack containing 1.2 mL collection tubes. RNA was then eluted by pipetting 170 μL water into each well, incubating 1 minute, and then applying the vacuum for 3 minutes.

[0267] The repetitive pipetting and elution steps may be automated using a QIAGEN Bio-Robot 9604 (Qiagen, Inc., Valencia Calif.). Essentially, after lysing of the cells on the culture plate, the plate is transferred to the robot deck where the pipetting, DNase treatment and elution steps are carried out.

Example 13

[0268] Real-time Quantitative PCR Analysis of Fatty Acid Synthase mRNA Levels

[0269] Quantitation of fatty acid synthase mRNA levels was determined by real-time quantitative PCR using the ABI PRISM™ 7700 Sequence Detection System (PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) according to manufacturer's instructions. This is a closed-tube, non-gel-based, fluorescence detection system which allows high-throughput quantitation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products in real-time. As opposed to standard PCR in which amplification products are quantitated after the PCR is completed, products in real-time quantitative PCR are quantitated as they accumulate. This is accomplished by including in the PCR reaction an oligonucleotide probe that anneals specifically between the forward and reverse PCR primers, and contains two fluorescent dyes. A reporter dye (e.g., FAM or JOE, obtained from either PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif., Operon Technologies Inc., Alameda, Calif. or Integrated DNA Technologies Inc., Coralville, Iowa) is attached to the 5′ end of the probe and a quencher dye (e.g., TAMRA, obtained from either PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif., Operon Technologies Inc., Alameda, Calif. or Integrated DNA Technologies Inc., Coralville, Iowa) is attached to the 3′ end of the probe. When the probe and dyes are intact, reporter dye emission is quenched by the proximity of the 3′ quencher dye. During amplification, annealing of the probe to the target sequence creates a substrate that can be cleaved by the 5′-exonuclease activity of Taq polymerase. During the extension phase of the PCR amplification cycle, cleavage of the probe by Taq polymerase releases the reporter dye from the remainder of the probe (and hence from the quencher moiety) and a sequence-specific fluorescent signal is generated. With each cycle, additional reporter dye molecules are cleaved from their respective probes, and the fluorescence intensity is monitored at regular intervals by laser optics built into the ABI PRISM™ 7700 Sequence Detection System. In each assay, a series of parallel reactions containing serial dilutions of mRNA from untreated control samples generates a standard curve that is used to quantitate the percent inhibition after antisense oligonucleotide treatment of test samples.

[0270] Prior to quantitative PCR analysis, primer-probe sets specific to the target gene being measured are evaluated for their ability to be “multiplexed” with a GAPDH amplification reaction. In multiplexing, both the target gene and the internal standard gene GAPDH are amplified concurrently in a single sample. In this analysis, mRNA isolated from untreated cells is serially diluted. Each dilution is amplified in the presence of primer-probe sets specific for GAPDH only, target gene only (“single-plexing”), or both (multiplexing). Following PCR amplification, standard curves of GAPDH and target mRNA signal as a function of dilution are generated from both the single-plexed and multiplexed samples. If both the slope and correlation coefficient of the GAPDH and target signals generated from the multiplexed samples fall within 10% of their corresponding values generated from the single-plexed samples, the primer-probe set specific for that target is deemed multiplexable. Other methods of PCR are also known in the art.

[0271] PCR reagents were obtained from Invitrogen Corporation, (Carlsbad, Calif.). RT-PCR reactions were carried out by adding 20 μL PCR cocktail (2.5×PCR buffer (—MgCl2), 6.6 mM MgCl2, 375 μM each of dATP, dCTP, dCTP and dGTP, 375 nM each of forward primer and reverse primer, 125 nM of probe, 4 Units RNAse inhibitor, 1.25 Units PLATINUM® Taq, 5 Units MULV reverse transcriptase, and 2.5×ROX dye) to 96-well plates containing 30 μL total RNA solution. The RT reaction was carried out by incubation for 30 minutes at 48° C. Following a 10 minute incubation at 95° C. to activate the PLATINUM® Taq, 40 cycles of a two-step PCR protocol were carried out: 95° C. for 15 seconds (denaturation) followed by 60° C. for 1.5 minutes (annealing/extension).

[0272] Gene target quantities obtained by real time RT-PCR are normalized using either the expression level of GAPDH, a gene whose expression is constant, or by quantifying total RNA using RiboGreenTM (Molecular Probes, Inc. Eugene, Oreg.). GAPDH expression is quantified by real time RT-PCR, by being run simultaneously with the target, multiplexing, or separately. Total RNA is quantified using RiboGreenTM RNA quantification reagent from Molecular Probes. Methods of RNA quantification by RiboGreenTM are taught in Jones, L. J., et al, (Analytical Biochemistry, 1998, 265, 368-374).

[0273] In this assay, 170 μL of RiboGreenTM working reagent (RiboGreenTM reagent diluted 1:350 in 10 mM Tris-HCl, 1 mM EDTA, pH 7.5) is pipetted into a 96-well plate containing 30 μL purified, cellular RNA. The plate is read in a CytoFluor 4000 (PE Applied Biosystems) with excitation at 480 nm and emission at 520 nm.

[0274] Probes and primers to human fatty acid synthase were designed to hybridize to a human fatty acid synthase sequence, using published sequence information (GenBank accession number U29344.1, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO:4). For human fatty acid synthase the PCR primers were: forward primer: GCAAATTCGACCTTTCTCAGAAC (SEQ ID NO: 5) reverse primer: GGACCCCGTGGAATGTCA (SEQ ID NO: 6) and the PCR probe was: FAM-ACCCGCTCGGCATGGCTATCTTC-TAMRA (SEQ ID NO: 7) where FAM is the fluorescent dye and TAMRA is the quencher dye. For human GAPDH the PCR primers were: forward primer: GAAGGTGAAGGTCGGAGTC(SEQ ID NO:8) reverse primer: GAAGATGGTGATGGGATTTC (SEQ ID NO:9) and the PCR probe was: 5′ JOE-CAAGCTTCCCGTTCTCAGCC-TAMRA 3′ (SEQ ID NO: 10) where JOE is the fluorescent reporter dye and TAMRA is the quencher dye.

[0275] Probes and primers to mouse fatty acid synthase were designed to hybridize to a mouse fatty acid synthase sequence, using published sequence information (GenBank accession number AF127033.1, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO:11). For mouse fatty acid synthase the PCR primers were: forward primer: CATGACCTCGTGATGAACGTGT (SEQ ID NO:12) reverse primer: CGGGTGAGGACGTTTACAAAG (SEQ ID NO: 13) and the PCR probe was: FAM-CCGTCACTTCCAGTTAGAGCAGGACAAGC-TAMRA (SEQ ID NO: 14) where FAM is the fluorescent reporter dye and TAMRA is the quencher dye. For mouse GAPDH the PCR primers were: forward primer: GGCAAATTCAACGGCACAGT(SEQ ID NO:15) reverse primer: GGGTCTCGCTCCTGGAAGAT(SEQ ID NO:16) and the PCR probe was: 5′ JOE-AAGGCCGAGAATGGGAAGCTTGTCATC-TAMRA 3′ (SEQ ID NO: 17) where JOE is the fluorescent reporter dye and TAMRA is the quencher dye.

Example 14

[0276] Northern Blot Analysis of Fatty Acid Synthase mRNA Levels

[0277] Eighteen hours after antisense treatment, cell monolayers were washed twice with cold PBS and lysed in 1 mL RNAZOL™ (TEL-TEST “B” Inc., Friendswood, Tex.). Total RNA was prepared following manufacturer's recommended protocols. Twenty micrograms of total RNA was fractionated by electrophoresis through 1.2% agarose gels containing 1.1% formaldehyde using a MOPS buffer system (AMRESCO, Inc. Solon, Ohio). RNA was transferred from the gel to HYBOND™-N+ nylon membranes (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Piscataway, N.J.) by overnight capillary transfer using a Northern/Southern Transfer buffer system (TEL-TEST “B” Inc., Friendswood, Tex.). RNA transfer was confirmed by UV visualization. Membranes were fixed by UV cross-linking using a STRATALINKER™ UV Crosslinker 2400 (Stratagene, Inc, La Jolla, Calif.) and then probed using QUICKHYB™ hybridization solution (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) using manufacturer's recommendations for stringent conditions.

[0278] To detect human fatty acid synthase, a human fatty acid synthase specific probe was prepared by PCR using the forward primer GCAAATTCGACCTTTCTCAGAAC (SEQ ID NO: 5) and the reverse primer GGACCCCGTGGAATGTCA (SEQ ID NO: 6). To normalize for variations in loading and transfer efficiency membranes were stripped and probed for human glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) RNA (Clontech, Palo Alto, Calif.).

[0279] To detect mouse fatty acid synthase, a mouse fatty acid synthase specific probe was prepared by PCR using the forward primer CATGACCTCGTGATGAACGTGT (SEQ ID NO: 12) and the reverse primer CGGGTGAGGACGTTTACAAAG (SEQ ID NO: 13). To normalize for variations in loading and transfer efficiency membranes were stripped and probed for mouse glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) RNA (Clontech, Palo Alto, Calif.).

[0280] Hybridized membranes were visualized and quantitated using a PHOSPHORIMAGER™ and IMAGEQUANT™ Software V3.3 (Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, Calif.). Data was normalized to GAPDH levels in untreated controls.

Example 15

[0281] Antisense Inhibition of Human Fatty Acid Synthase Expression by Chimeric Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides having 2′-MOE Wings and a Deoxy Gap

[0282] In accordance with the present invention, a series of oligonucleotides were designed to target different regions of the human fatty acid synthase RNA, using published sequences (GenBank accession number U29344.1, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO: 4, and GenBank accession number U52428.1, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO: 18). The oligonucleotides are shown in Table 1. “Target site” indicates the first (5′-most) nucleotide number on the particular target sequence to which the oligonucleotide binds. All compounds in Table 1 are chimeric oligonucleotides (“gapmers”) 20 nucleotides in length, composed of a central “gap” region consisting of ten 2′-deoxynucleotides, which is flanked on both sides (5′ and 3′ directions) by five-nucleotide “wings”. The wings are composed of 2′-methoxyethyl (2′-MOE)nucleotides. The internucleoside (backbone) linkages are phosphorothioate (P═S) throughout the oligonucleotide. All cytidine residues are 5-methylcytidines. The compounds were analyzed for their effect on human fatty acid synthase mRNA levels by quantitative real-time PCR as described in other examples herein. Data are averages from two experiments in which T-24 cells were treated with oligonucleotides 148524-148589 of the present invention and A549 cells were treated with oligonucleotides 194423-194456 of the present invention. The positive control for each datapoint is identified in the table by sequence ID number. If present, “N.D.” indicates “no data”. TABLE 1 Inhibition of human fatty acid synthase mRNA levels by chimeric phosphorothioate oligonucleotides having 2′-MOE wings and a deoxy gap TARGET CONTROL SEQ ID TARGET SEQ ID SEQ ID ISIS # REGION NO SITE SEQUENCE % INHIB NO NO 148524 Coding 4 506 gcccaccatgctgtagccca 47 20 2 148525 Coding 4 511 tggcagcccaccatgctgta 55 21 2 148528 Coding 4 592 gaggagcaggctgtgtccag 43 22 2 148531 Coding 4 868 ccatctgtattggtgccggc 50 23 2 148537 Coding 4 1635 tgaggctcagccccatcccg 49 24 2 148539 Coding 4 1645 tccaggcgcatgaggctcag 55 25 2 148540 Coding 4 1687 ttcacagcctcatcggagcg 50 26 2 148545 Coding 4 2215 tcccggatcaccttcttgag 44 27 2 148548 Coding 4 2317 ttgttgacattgtactcggc 79 28 2 148551 Coding 4 2334 gcacagggctcaccaggttg 45 29 2 148552 Coding 4 2563 tccacaggtgggaacaaggc 77 30 2 148555 Coding 4 3532 cccttgcacagttgcagctc 80 31 2 148556 Coding 4 3688 tgcaggttcccgttgagctg 57 32 2 148564 Coding 4 5179 cggcagcccagactgagggc 48 33 2 148565 Coding 4 5184 agacgcggcagcccagactg 77 34 2 148566 Coding 4 5189 ggtgaagacgcggcagccca 64 35 2 148567 Coding 4 5236 gggaacctggcctggaggta 43 36 2 148569 Coding 4 5365 ctggcctgcagcttctcttc 64 37 2 148571 Coding 4 5956 cgggccccctccagtgagct 66 38 2 148572 Coding 4 6148 acaaagtagtccagctcagg 41 39 2 148574 Coding 4 6430 agcacaaagctgctcaggac 68 40 2 148575 Coding 4 6874 ctgtggaacacggtggtgga 64 41 2 148576 Coding 4 7066 gcctgcagctgggagcacat 75 42 2 148577 Coding 4 7151 gtagctctgggtgtaggcca 52 43 2 148578 Coding 4 7156 gcccggtagctctgggtgta 60 44 2 148579 Coding 4 7420 ccatggtacttggccttggg 70 45 2 148580 Coding 4 7425 cgttgccatggtacttggcc 59 46 2 148581 Coding 4 7612 cgtggctcagccagggagct 60 47 2 148589 3′UTR 4 7974 ccagcaatgcaataaatatg 60 48 2 194423 5′UTR 18 928 gccgtctctctggctccctc 35 49 2 194424 5′UTR 18 1037 ctgctcgtacctggtgaggg 46 50 2 194425 5′UTR 18 1527 gcgattcacagaggcttggc 60 51 2 194426 5′UTR 18 2110 ctgctaagggccatcaaaga 56 52 2 194427 5′UTR 18 2162 tgaggagcaggcagggtcac 58 53 2 194428 5′UTR 18 2529 cccggccacgacacccccgt 50 54 2 194429 5′UTR 18 2540 gccccacacatcccggccac 14 55 2 194430 Start 18 2572 catggctgctctgcagggcg 58 56 2 Codon 194431 Start 4 107 catggctgctctggtgaggg 54 57 2 Codon 194432 Start 4 115 acctcctccatggctgctct 44 58 2 Codon 194433 Coding 4 276 acaggtccttcagcttgccg 66 59 2 194434 Coding 4 401 tgaatctgggttgatgcctc 8 60 2 194435 Coding 4 591 aggagcaggctgtgtccagt 56 61 2 194436 Coding 4 985 ccgtgggcttcgatgtattc 39 62 2 194437 Coding 4 1282 aaggagttgatgcccacgtt 60 63 2 194438 Coding 4 1432 cggaggccctgctccagcag 58 64 2 194439 Coding 4 1676 atcggagcgtaggatggaat 62 65 2 194440 Coding 4 1754 gacgatgtcatcaaaggtgc 57 66 2 194441 Coding 4 1949 gagatgggcttctttgatgc 31 67 2 194442 Coding 4 2165 catgaagtaggagtggaagg 36 68 2 194443 Coding 4 2180 gggtgcgatggcctccatga 12 69 2 194444 Coding 4 2782 ctcaggtagccagtggcggg 60 70 2 194445 Coding 4 2871 tggcctggtgcagcaccaca 30 71 2 194446 Coding 4 3555 tggtctgcagtgcctgcacc 63 72 2 194447 Coding 4 4440 tgatggccttcagccacaca 56 73 2 194448 Coding 4 5388 cgtgcgtagccaagcacctc 68 74 2 194449 Coding 4 5437 agcgggtggttctgagaaag 70 75 2 194450 Coding 4 6126 acgcctctcgggtcaccctg 75 76 2 194451 Coding 4 6560 caggcccaggtccgccagtg 71 77 2 194452 Coding 4 6627 gcacggacagcaccaggttg 59 78 2 194453 Coding 4 6701 tgccagctcgctggcctcat 49 79 2 194454 Coding 4 6916 cactgcaggccataggtggg 47 80 2 194455 Coding 4 7054 gagcacatttcaaaggccac 61 81 2 194456 Coding 4 7252 tccagcaccctgttgtgctc 41 82 2

[0283] As shown in Table 1, SEQ ID NOs 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81 and 82 demonstrated at least 40% inhibition of human fatty acid synthase expression in this assay and are therefore preferred. More preferred are SEQ ID NOs: 28, 31 and 34. The target sites to which these preferred sequences are complementary are herein referred to as “preferred target regions” and are therefore preferred sites for targeting by compounds of the present invention. These preferred target regions are shown in Table 3. The sequences represent the reverse complement of the preferred antisense compounds shown in Table 1. “Target site” indicates the first (5′-most) nucleotide number of the corresponding target nucleic acid. Also shown in Table 3 is the species in which each of the preferred target regions was found.

Example 16

[0284] Antisense Inhibition of Mouse Fatty Acid Synthase Expression by Chimeric Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides Having 2′-MOE Wings and a Deoxy Gap.

[0285] In accordance with the present invention, a second series of oligonucleotides were designed to target different regions of the mouse fatty acid synthase RNA, using published sequences (GenBank accession number AF127033.1, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO: 11). The oligonucleotides are shown in Table 2. “Target site” indicates the first (5′-most) nucleotide number on the particular target sequence to which the oligonucleotide bonds. All compounds in Table 2 are chimeric oligonucleotides (“gapmers”) 20 nucleotides in length, composed of a central “gap” region consisting of ten 2′-deoxynucleotides, which is flanked on both sides (5′ and 3′ directions) by five-nucleotide “wings”. The wings are composed of 2′-methoxyethyl (2′-MOE)nucleotides. The internucleoside (backbone) linkages are phosphorothioate (P═S) throughout the oligonucleotide. All cytidine residues are 5-methylcytidines. The compounds were analyzed for their effect on mouse fatty acid synthase mRNA levels by quantitative real-time PCR as described in other examples herein. Data are averages from two experiments in which b.END cells were treated with the oligonucleotides of the present invention. The positive control for each datapoint is identified in the table by sequence ID number. If present, “N.D.” indicates “no data”. TABLE 2 Inhibition of mouse fatty acid synthase mRNA levels by chimeric phosphorothioate oligonucleotides having 2′-MOE wings and a deoxy gap TARGET CONTROL SEQ ID TARGET SEQ ID SEQ ID ISIS # REGION NO SITE SEQUENCE % INHIB NO NO 148522 5′UTR 11 17 tctgtctgggctctggaggc 55 83 1 148523 Start 11 36 acctcctccatggctcttct 76 84 1 Codon 148526 Coding 11 459 gagagccggttggccatcat 75 85 1 148527 Coding 11 483 ggtcctttgaagtcgaagaa 70 86 1 148529 Coding 11 630 ttcatgaactgcacagaggt 79 87 1 148530 Coding 11 734 acttcttagtcagcagaact 67 88 1 148532 Coding 11 1020 gggtgtcccatgttggattt 61 89 1 148533 Coding 11 1025 gctcagggtgtcccatgttg 71 90 1 148534 Coding 11 1142 gcccatcaagaagtgctggg 78 91 1 148535 Coding 11 1200 gagttgatgcccacgttgcc 72 92 1 148536 Coding 11 1391 cattgagcatgctcacaaag 73 93 1 148538 Coding 11 1561 gcgcatgaggctcagcccca 57 94 1 148541 Coding 11 1966 gtcctcagagttgtggcagg 76 95 1 148542 Coding 11 2049 acctccttggcaaacacacc 77 96 1 148543 Coding 11 2088 tccatgaagtaggagtggaa 67 97 1 148544 Coding 11 2099 gggcaattccttccatgaag 77 98 1 148546 Coding 11 2178 gggatagaggtgctgagcca 41 99 1 148547 Coding 11 2208 cgggccaggctgctctgcca 70 100 1 148549 Coding 11 2243 ccaggttgttgacattgtac 69 101 1 148550 Coding 11 2250 gggctcaccaggttgttgac 25 102 1 148553 Coding 11 2489 ggaactccacaggtgggaac 58 103 1 148554 Coding 11 2543 gactgtggtcccacttgatg 77 104 1 148557 Coding 11 3600 tccagctgcaggttcccgtt 68 105 1 148558 Coding 11 3605 ccagctccagctgcaggttc 30 106 1 148559 Coding 11 3656 tgatcagagggtcttctggc 59 107 1 148560 Coding 11 3734 ccttcatcttgagagtagac 69 108 1 148561 Coding 11 4295 tcttcagagagtccacccac 86 109 1 148562 Coding 11 4333 tagccacacaggctgggagg 39 110 1 148563 Coding 11 4575 ggcttgtcctgctctaactg 95 111 1 148568 Coding 11 5222 ctttgccacctgtgtgcagt 70 112 1 148570 Coding 11 5646 cagaaggtcttggagatggc 75 113 1 148573 Coding 11 6205 gcccacgtcaccaatggcac 47 114 1 148582 Stop 11 7549 tcggcaggtctagccctccc 82 115 1 Codon 148583 3′UTR 11 7594 tcggagcatctctggtggca 68 116 1 148584 3′UTR 11 7704 atggtctgtttgtagcagcc 69 117 1 148585 3′UTR 11 7744 ctctgggaaccccactacgc 79 118 1 148586 3′UTR 11 7751 tcagtggctctgggaacccc 45 119 1 148587 3′UTR 11 7823 tgccacacggtagaaaaggc 63 120 1 148588 3′UTR 11 7848 atggagaaacgaccagcgtg 82 121 1 148590 3′UTR 11 7882 tctttcccagcaatgcaata 72 122 1 148591 3′UTR 11 7933 cacatggcttctcccatttt 62 123 1 148592 3′UTR 11 7986 ctccagccagcagcctgtgt 71 124 1 148593 3′UTR 11 8085 cacgggctacagtgtctgct 77 125 1 148594 3′UTR 11 8169 acagacagtcagtgcccggt 60 126 1 148595 3′UTR 11 8200 caaaacccaagcatcatttt 75 127 1 148596 3′UTR 11 8231 cacttcttcacactgacagc 74 128 1 148597 3′UTR 11 8275 agcagcatttttaccaggtt 80 129 1 148598 3′UTR 11 8309 tgcagtttaattgtgggatc 65 130 1 148599 3′UTR 11 8317 cgctcacgtgcagtttaatt 82 131 1

[0286] As shown in Table 2, SEQ ID NOs 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 100, 101, 104, 105, 108, 109, 111, 112, 113, 115, 116, 117, 118, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130 and 131 demonstrated at least 60% inhibition of mouse fatty acid synthase expression in this experiment and are therefore preferred. The target sites to which these preferred sequences are complementary are herein referred to as “preferred target regions” and are therefore preferred sites for targeting by compounds of the present invention. These preferred target are shown in Table 3. The sequences represent the complement of the preferred antisense compounds Table 1. “Target site” indicates the first (5′-most) nucleotide number of the corresponding target nucleic acid. Also shown in Table 3 is the species in which each of the preferred target regions was found. TABLE 3 Sequence and position of preferred target regions identified in fatty acid synthase. TARGET SEQ ID TARGET REV COMP SEQ ID SITEID NO SITE SEQUENCE OF SEQ ID ACTIVE IN NO 63925 4 506 tgggctacagcatggtgggc 20 H. sapiens 132 63926 4 511 tacagcatggtgggctgcca 21 H. sapiens 133 63929 4 592 ctggacacagcctgctcctc 22 H. sapiens 134 63932 4 868 gccggcaccaatacagatgg 23 H. sapiens 135 63938 4 1635 cgggatggggctgagcctca 24 H. sapiens 136 63940 4 1645 ctgagcctcatgcgcctgga 25 H. sapiens 137 63941 4 1687 cgctccgatgaggctgtgaa 26 H. sapiens 138 63946 4 2215 ctcaagaaggtgatccggga 27 H. sapiens 139 63949 4 2317 gccgagtacaatgtcaacaa 28 H. sapiens 140 63952 4 2334 caacctggtgagccctgtgc 29 H. sapiens 141 63953 4 2563 gccttgttcccacctgtgga 30 H. sapiens 142 63956 4 3532 gagctgcaactgtgcaaggg 31 H. sapiens 143 63957 4 3688 cagctcaacgggaacctgca 32 H. sapiens 144 63965 4 5179 gccctcagtctgggctgccg 33 H. sapiens 145 63966 4 5184 cagtctgggctgccgcgtct 34 H. sapiens 146 63967 4 5189 tgggctgccgcgtcttcacc 35 H. sapiens 147 63968 4 5236 tacctccaggccaggttccc 36 H. sapiens 148 63970 4 5365 gaagagaagctgcaggccag 37 H. sapiens 149 63972 4 5956 agctcactggagggggcccg 38 H. sapiens 150 63973 4 6148 cctgagctggactactttgt 39 H. sapiens 151 63975 4 6430 gtcctgagcagctttgtgct 40 H. sapiens 152 63976 4 6874 tccaccaccgtgttccacag 41 H. sapiens 153 63977 4 7066 atgtgctcccagctgcaggc 42 H. sapiens 154 63978 4 7151 tggcctacacccagagctac 43 H. sapiens 155 63979 4 7156 tacacccagagctaccgggc 44 H. sapiens 156 63980 4 7420 cccaaggccaagtaccatgg 45 H. sapiens 157 63981 4 7425 ggccaagtaccatggcaacg 46 H. sapiens 158 63982 4 7612 agctccctggctgagccacg 47 H. sapiens 159 63990 4 7974 catatttattgcattgctgg 48 H. sapiens 160 112536 18 1037 ccctcaccaggtacgagcag 50 H. sapiens 161 112537 18 1527 gccaagcctctgtgaatcgc 51 H. sapiens 162 112538 18 2110 tctttgatggcccttagcag 52 H. sapiens 163 112539 18 2162 gtgaccctgcctgctcctca 53 H. sapiens 164 112540 18 2529 acgggggtgtcgtggccggg 54 H. sapiens 165 112542 18 2572 cgccctgcagagcagccatg 56 H. sapiens 166 112543 4 107 ccctcaccagagcagccatg 57 H. sapiens 167 81697 4 115 agagcagccatggaggaggt 58 H. sapiens 168 112544 4 276 cggcaagctgaaggacctgt 59 H. sapiens 169 112546 4 591 actggacacagcctgctcct 61 H. sapiens 170 112548 4 1282 aacgtgggcatcaactcctt 63 H. sapiens 171 112549 4 1432 ctgctggagcagggcctccg 64 H. sapiens 172 112550 4 1676 attccatcctacgctccgat 65 H. sapiens 173 112551 4 1754 gcacctttgatgacatcgtc 66 H. sapiens 174 112555 4 2782 cccgccactggctacctgag 70 H. sapiens 175 112557 4 3555 ggtgcaggcactgcagacca 72 H. sapiens 176 112558 4 4440 tgtgtggctgaaggccatca 73 H. sapiens 177 112559 4 5388 gaggtgcttggctacgcacg 74 H. sapiens 178 112560 4 5437 ctttctcagaaccacccgct 75 H. sapiens 179 112561 4 6126 cagggtgacccgagaggcgt 76 H. sapiens 180 112562 4 6560 cactggcggacctgggcctg 77 H. sapiens 181 112563 4 6627 caacctggtgctgtccgtgc 78 H. sapiens 182 112564 4 6701 atgaggccagcgagctggca 79 H. sapiens 183 112565 4 6916 cccacctatggcctgcagtg 80 H. sapiens 184 112566 4 7054 gtggcctttgaaatgtgctc 81 H. sapiens 185 112567 4 7252 gagcacaacagggtgctgga 82 H. sapiens 186 63924 11 36 agaagagccatggaggaggt 84 M. musculus 187 63927 11 459 atgatggccaaccggctctc 85 M. musculus 188 63928 11 483 ttcttcgacttcaaaggacc 86 M. musculus 189 63930 11 630 acctctgtgcagttcatgaa 87 M. musculus 190 63931 11 734 agttctgctgactaagaagt 88 M. musculus 191 63933 11 1020 aaatccaacatgggacaccc 89 M. musculus 192 63934 11 1025 caacatgggacaccctgagc 90 M. musculus 193 63935 11 1142 cccagcacttcttgatgggc 91 M. musculus 194 63936 11 1200 ggcaacgtgggcatcaactc 92 M. musculus 195 63937 11 1391 ctttgtgagcatgctcaatg 93 M. musculus 196 63942 11 1966 cctgccacaactctgaggac 95 M. musculus 197 63943 11 2049 ggtgtgtttgccaaggaggt 96 M. musculus 198 63944 11 2088 ttccactcctacttcatgga 97 M. musculus 199 63945 11 2099 cttcatggaaggaattgccc 98 M. musculus 200 63948 11 2208 tggcagagcagcctggcccg 100 M. musculus 201 63950 11 2243 gtacaatgtcaacaacctgg 101 M. musculus 202 63955 11 2543 catcaagtgggaccacagtc 104 M. musculus 203 63958 11 3600 aacgggaacctgcagctgga 105 M. musculus 204 63961 11 3734 gtctactctcaagatgaagg 108 M. musculus 205 63962 11 4295 gtgggtggactctctgaaga 109 M. musculus 206 63964 11 4575 cagttagagcaggacaagcc 111 M. musculus 207 63969 11 5222 actgcacacaggtggcaaag 112 M. musculus 208 63971 11 5646 gccatctccaagaccttctg 113 M. musculus 209 63983 11 7549 gggagggctagacctgccga 115 M. musculus 210 63984 11 7594 tgccaccagagatgctccga 116 M. musculus 211 63985 11 7704 ggctgctacaaacagaccat 117 M. musculus 212 63986 11 7744 gcgtagtggggttcccagag 118 M. musculus 213 63988 11 7823 gccttttctaccgtgtggca 120 M. musculus 214 63989 11 7848 cacgctggtcgtttctccat 121 M. musculus 215 63991 11 7882 tattgcattgctgggaaaga 122 M. musculus 216 63992 11 7933 aaaatgggagaagccatgtg 123 M. musculus 217 63993 11 7986 acacaggctgctggctggag 124 M. musculus 218 63994 11 8085 agcagacactgtagcccgtg 125 M. musculus 219 63995 11 8169 accgggcactgactgtctgt 126 M. musculus 220 63996 11 8200 aaaatgatgcttgggttttg 127 M. musculus 221 63997 11 8231 gctgtcagtgtgaagaagtg 128 M. musculus 222 63998 11 8275 aacctggtaaaaatgctgct 129 M. musculus 223 63999 11 8309 gatcccacaattaaactgca 130 M. musculus 224 64000 11 8317 aattaaactgcacgtgagcg 131 M. musculus 225

[0287] As these “preferred target regions” have been found by experimentation to be open to, and accessible for, hybridization with the antisense compounds of the present invention, one of skill in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain, using no more than routine experimentation, further embodiments of the invention that encompass other compounds that specifically hybridize to these sites and consequently inhibit the expression of fatty acid synthase.

[0288] In one embodiment, the “preferred target region” may be employed in screening candidate antisense compounds. “Candidate antisense compounds” are those that inhibit the expression of a nucleic acid molecule encoding fatty acid synthase and which comprise at least an 8-nucleobase portion which is complementary to a preferred target region. The method comprises the steps of contacting a preferred target region of a nucleic acid molecule encoding fatty acid synthase with one or more candidate antisense compounds, and selecting for one or more candidate antisense compounds which inhibit the expression of a nucleic acid molecule encoding fatty acid synthase. Once it is shown that the candidate antisense compound or compounds are capable of inhibiting the expression of a nucleic acid molecule encoding fatty acid synthase, the candidate antisense compound may be employed as an antisense compound in accordance with the present invention.

[0289] According to the present invention, antisense compounds include ribozymes, external guide sequence (EGS) oligonucleotides (oligozymes), and other short catalytic RNAs or catalytic oligonucleotides which hybridize to the target nucleic acid and modulate its expression.

Example 17

[0290] Western Blot Analysis of Fatty Acid Synthase Protein Levels

[0291] Western blot analysis (immunoblot analysis) is carried out using standard methods. Cells are harvested 16-20 h after oligonucleotide treatment, washed once with PBS, suspended in Laemmli buffer (100 ul/well), boiled for 5 minutes and loaded on a 16% SDS-PAGE gel. Gels are run for 1.5 hours at 150 V, and transferred to membrane for western blotting. Appropriate primary antibody directed to fatty acid synthase is used, with a radiolabeled or fluorescently labeled secondary antibody directed against the primary antibody species. Bands are visualized using a PHOSPHORIMAGER™ (Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale Calif.).

Example 18

[0292] Effects of Antisense Inhibition of Mouse Fatty Acid Synthase (ISIS 148548) on Food Intake, Body Weight, Metabolic Rate and Adipose Tissue Weight

[0293] Because inhibition of expression of fatty acid synthase was predicted to decrease production of long chain fatty acids and triglycerides, it was expected that changes in food intake, metabolic rate and body weight would occur.

[0294] In accordance with the present invention, ISIS 148548 (SEQ ID NO: 28) was investigated in experiments designed to address the effects of modulation of fatty acid synthase expression on food intake, body and fat pad weight and metabolic rate in the mouse.

[0295] Four-week old male C57BL/6 mice (n=8/group) were fed a high-fat diet (containing 60% fat) for 7 weeks to induce obesity. The mice were subsequently dosed biweekly for 8 weeks with 5, 12.5, or 25 mg/kg of ISIS 148548, (TTGTTGACATTGTACTCGGC, SEQ ID NO: 28) or saline as a control. After 5 weeks of treatment, food intake (grams of food consumed per gram of body weight) was reduced relative to saline control treatment by 7% and 9% as a result of 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg biweekly doses of ISIS 148548 respectively. The 10 mg/kg dose did not significantly alter food intake.

[0296] In addition, at week 5, the 10 mg/kg, 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg biweekly doses of ISIS 148548 had the effect of decreasing the body weight gain of the mice by 25%, 64% and 97% relative to the weight gain recorded for saline-treated mice.

[0297] The metabolic rates of the mice, as defined by oxygen consumption (VO₂), were measured at week 7. The 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg biweekly doses of ISIS 148548 respectively caused 6.6% and 15.3% increases in metabolic rate in the dark cycle, relative to mice treated with the saline control. The analogous increases in metabolic rate in the light cycle were 4.0% and 22.6%.

[0298] After sacrifice at 8 weeks, fat pads (brown adipose tissue and white adipose tissue from epidermis and peritoneum) of the mice were excised and weighed. The epidermal white adipose tissue fat pads of mice dosed biweekly with 10 mg/kg, 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg of ISIS 148548 weighed 28%, 50% and 61% less, respectively, than the epidermal white adopise tissue fat pads of saline-treated mice. Likewise, the peritoneal white adipose tissue fat pads of mice dosed biweekly with 10 mg/kg, 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg of ISIS 148548 weighed 20%, 50% and 67% less, respectively, than the peritoneal white adipose tissue fat pads of saline-treated mice. Significant decreases in weight of brown adipose tissue fat pads were not observed.

[0299] These results clearly indicate that antisense inhibition of fatty acid synthase expression results in reduced food intake, increased metabolic rate and decreased body weight attributable to decreases in the mass of fat stored in white adipose tissue.

Example 19

[0300] Effects of Antisense Inhibition of Fatty Acid Synthase (ISIS 148548) on Fatty Acid Synthase Protein Levels in Mouse Liver and White Adipose Tissue

[0301] In accordance with the present invention, protein levels in liver and white adipose tissue were examined for the same mice described in Example 18 which were sacrificed at week 8. Western blots of extracts of livers of mice (n=2/tissue pool) treated biweekly with 5 mg/kg, 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg of ISIS 148548 respectively exhibited 20%, 57% and 74% reductions in levels of fatty acid synthase protein. Likewise, western blots of extracts of white adipose tissue from the same mice treated biweekly with 5 mg/kg, 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg of ISIS 148548 respectively exhibited 43%, 66% and 83% reductions in levels of fatty acid synthase protein.

[0302] These results clearly indicate that antisense inhibition of fatty acid synthase causes significant reductions in fatty acid synthase protein levels in liver and white adipose tissue.

Example 20

[0303] Effects of Antisense Inhibition of Fatty Acid Synthase (ISIS 148548) on Levels of Serum Leptin, Blood Glucose, Serum Insulin, Serum Lipids and Serum Transaminases

[0304] Leptin, a protein produced by fat, plays an important role in how the body manages its supply of fat. The amount of leptin highly correlates to how much fat is stored in the body, with greater levels found in individuals with more fat.

[0305] In accordance with the present invention, leptin levels were measured for the same mice described in example 18. At week 7, mice mice treated biweekly with 5 mg/kg, 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg of ISIS 148548 exhibited significant reductions in serum leptin levels of 72%, 62% and 86% respectively, relative to the saline-treated mice.

[0306] Blood glucose levels were measured for the same mice described in example 18 at week 2 and week 7. At week 2, no significant change in glucose levels was observed at all doses. At week 7, mice treated biweekly with 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg of ISIS 148548 exhibited only modest reductions in blood glucose levels of 9% and 14%, respectively, relative to the saline-treated mice.

[0307] Serum insulin levels were measured for the same mice described in example 18. At week 2, for all doses, no significant change in insulin levels was observed. At week 7, mice treated biweekly with 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg of ISIS 148548 exhibited reductions in serum insulin levels of 42% and 67%, respectively, relative to the saline-treated mice.

[0308] Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were investigated for the same mice described in example 18. At week 7, reductions in serum cholesterol occurring at all doses of ISIS 148548 were approximately 33% lower than the cholesterol levels measured for the saline-treated mice. Also at week 7, triglyceride levels were reduced by 25% as a result of the 12.5 mg/kg biweekly dose and 31% as a result of the 25 mg/kg biweekly dose, relative to the saline control.

[0309] Levels of serum transaminases are indicators of toxicity and liver damage. The levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were measured for the same mice described in example 18. At week 7, aspartate aminotransferase levels were increased 27% for the 12.5 mg/kg biweekly dose and 45% for the 25 mg/kg biweekly dose, relative to the saline control. At week 7, levels of alanine aminotransferase were unchanged.

[0310] These results indicate that blood glucose, serum insulin levels, serum leptin levels and serum lipids are lowered by antisense inhibition of fatty acid synthase, indicating that blood chemistry profiles characteristic of obesity are alleviated.

[0311] The observation of only a mild effect of administration of ISIS 148548 on levels of serum transaminases (an increase in aspartate aminotransferase levels at high doses) indicates that the oligonucleotide does not exhibit a toxicity profile.

0 SEQUENCE LISTING <160> NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 225 <210> SEQ ID NO 1 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 1 tccgtcatcg ctcctcaggg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 2 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 2 gtgcgcgcga gcccgaaatc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 3 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 3 atgcattctg cccccaagga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 4 <211> LENGTH: 8460 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <220> FEATURE: <221> NAME/KEY: unsure <222> LOCATION: 8148 <223> OTHER INFORMATION: unknown <220> FEATURE: <221> NAME/KEY: CDS <222> LOCATION: (124)...(7653) <400> SEQUENCE: 4 cggccgtcga cacggcagcg gccccggcct ccctctccgc cgcgcttcag cctcccgctc 60 cgccgcgctc cagcctcgct ctccgccgcc cgcaccgccg cccgcgccct caccagagca 120 gcc atg gag gag gtg gtg att gcc ggc atg tcc ggg aag ctg cca gag 168 Met Glu Glu Val Val Ile Ala Gly Met Ser Gly Lys Leu Pro Glu 1 5 10 15 tcg gag aac ttg cag gag ttc tgg gac aac ctc atc ggc ggt gtg gac 216 Ser Glu Asn Leu Gln Glu Phe Trp Asp Asn Leu Ile Gly Gly Val Asp 20 25 30 atg gtc acg gac gat gac cgt cgc tgg aag gcg ggg ctc tac ggc ctg 264 Met Val Thr Asp Asp Asp Arg Arg Trp Lys Ala Gly Leu Tyr Gly Leu 35 40 45 ccc cgg cgg tcc ggc aag ctg aag gac ctg tct agg ttt gat gcc tcc 312 Pro Arg Arg Ser Gly Lys Leu Lys Asp Leu Ser Arg Phe Asp Ala Ser 50 55 60 ttc ttc gga gtc cac ccc aag cag gca cac acg atg gac cct cag ctg 360 Phe Phe Gly Val His Pro Lys Gln Ala His Thr Met Asp Pro Gln Leu 65 70 75 cgg ctg ctg ctg gaa gtc acc tat gaa gcc atc gtg gac gga ggc atc 408 Arg Leu Leu Leu Glu Val Thr Tyr Glu Ala Ile Val Asp Gly Gly Ile 80 85 90 95 aac cca gat tca ctc cga gga aca cac act ggc gtc tgg gtg ggc gtg 456 Asn Pro Asp Ser Leu Arg Gly Thr His Thr Gly Val Trp Val Gly Val 100 105 110 agc ggc tct gag acc tcg gag gcc ctg agc cga gac ccc gag aca ctc 504 Ser Gly Ser Glu Thr Ser Glu Ala Leu Ser Arg Asp Pro Glu Thr Leu 115 120 125 gtg ggc tac agc atg gtg ggc tgc cag cga gcg atg atg gcc aac cgg 552 Val Gly Tyr Ser Met Val Gly Cys Gln Arg Ala Met Met Ala Asn Arg 130 135 140 ctc tcc ttc ttc ttc gac ttc aga ggg ccc agc atc gca ctg gac aca 600 Leu Ser Phe Phe Phe Asp Phe Arg Gly Pro Ser Ile Ala Leu Asp Thr 145 150 155 gcc tgc tcc tcc agc ctg atg gcc ctg cag aac gcc tac cag gcc atc 648 Ala Cys Ser Ser Ser Leu Met Ala Leu Gln Asn Ala Tyr Gln Ala Ile 160 165 170 175 cac agc ggg cag tgc cct gcc gcc atc gtg ggg ggc atc aat gtc ctg 696 His Ser Gly Gln Cys Pro Ala Ala Ile Val Gly Gly Ile Asn Val Leu 180 185 190 ctg aag ccc aac acc tcc gtg cag ttc ttg agg ctg ggg atg ctc agc 744 Leu Lys Pro Asn Thr Ser Val Gln Phe Leu Arg Leu Gly Met Leu Ser 195 200 205 ccc gag ggc acc tgc aag gcc ttc gac aca gcg ggg aat ggg tac tgc 792 Pro Glu Gly Thr Cys Lys Ala Phe Asp Thr Ala Gly Asn Gly Tyr Cys 210 215 220 cgc tcg gag ggt gtg gtg gcc gtc ctg ctg acc aag aag tcc ctg gcc 840 Arg Ser Glu Gly Val Val Ala Val Leu Leu Thr Lys Lys Ser Leu Ala 225 230 235 cgg cgg gtg tac gcc acc atc ctg aac gcc ggc acc aat aca gat ggc 888 Arg Arg Val Tyr Ala Thr Ile Leu Asn Ala Gly Thr Asn Thr Asp Gly 240 245 250 255 ttc aag gag caa ggc gtg acc ttc ccc tca ggg gat atc cag gag cag 936 Phe Lys Glu Gln Gly Val Thr Phe Pro Ser Gly Asp Ile Gln Glu Gln 260 265 270 ctc atc cgc tcg ttg tac cag tcg gcc gga gtg gcc cct gag tca ttt 984 Leu Ile Arg Ser Leu Tyr Gln Ser Ala Gly Val Ala Pro Glu Ser Phe 275 280 285 gaa tac atc gaa gcc cac ggc aca ggc acc aag gtg ggc gac ccc cag 1032 Glu Tyr Ile Glu Ala His Gly Thr Gly Thr Lys Val Gly Asp Pro Gln 290 295 300 gag ctg aat ggc atc acc cga gcc ctg tgc gcc acc cgc cag gag ccg 1080 Glu Leu Asn Gly Ile Thr Arg Ala Leu Cys Ala Thr Arg Gln Glu Pro 305 310 315 ctg ctc atc ggc tcc acc aag tcc aac atg ggg cac ccg gag cca gcc 1128 Leu Leu Ile Gly Ser Thr Lys Ser Asn Met Gly His Pro Glu Pro Ala 320 325 330 335 tcg ggg ctg gca gcc ctg gcc aag gtg ctg ctg tcc ctg gag cac ggg 1176 Ser Gly Leu Ala Ala Leu Ala Lys Val Leu Leu Ser Leu Glu His Gly 340 345 350 ctc tgg gcc ccc aac ctg cac ttc cat agc ccc aac cct gag atc cca 1224 Leu Trp Ala Pro Asn Leu His Phe His Ser Pro Asn Pro Glu Ile Pro 355 360 365 gcg ctg ttg gat ggg cgg ctg cag gtg gtg gac cag ccc ctg ccc gtc 1272 Ala Leu Leu Asp Gly Arg Leu Gln Val Val Asp Gln Pro Leu Pro Val 370 375 380 cgt ggc ggc aac gtg ggc atc aac tcc ttt ggc ttc ggg ggc tcc aac 1320 Arg Gly Gly Asn Val Gly Ile Asn Ser Phe Gly Phe Gly Gly Ser Asn 385 390 395 gtg cac atc atc ctg agg ccc aac acg cag ccg ccc ccc gca ccc gcc 1368 Val His Ile Ile Leu Arg Pro Asn Thr Gln Pro Pro Pro Ala Pro Ala 400 405 410 415 cca cat gcc acc ctg ccc cgt ctg ctg cgg gcc agc gga cgc acc cct 1416 Pro His Ala Thr Leu Pro Arg Leu Leu Arg Ala Ser Gly Arg Thr Pro 420 425 430 gag gcc gtg cag aag ctg ctg gag cag ggc ctc cgg cac agc cag gac 1464 Glu Ala Val Gln Lys Leu Leu Glu Gln Gly Leu Arg His Ser Gln Asp 435 440 445 ctg gct ttc ctg agc atg ctg aac gac atc gcg ctg tcc ccg acc acc 1512 Leu Ala Phe Leu Ser Met Leu Asn Asp Ile Ala Leu Ser Pro Thr Thr 450 455 460 gcc atg ccc ttc cgt ggc tac gct gtg ctg ggt ggt gag cgc ggt ggc 1560 Ala Met Pro Phe Arg Gly Tyr Ala Val Leu Gly Gly Glu Arg Gly Gly 465 470 475 cca gag gtg cag cag gtg ccc gct ggc gag cgc ccg ctc tgg ttc atc 1608 Pro Glu Val Gln Gln Val Pro Ala Gly Glu Arg Pro Leu Trp Phe Ile 480 485 490 495 tgc tct ggg atg ggc aca cag tgg cgc ggg atg ggg ctg agc ctc atg 1656 Cys Ser Gly Met Gly Thr Gln Trp Arg Gly Met Gly Leu Ser Leu Met 500 505 510 cgc ctg gac cgc ttc cga gat tcc atc cta cgc tcc gat gag gct gtg 1704 Arg Leu Asp Arg Phe Arg Asp Ser Ile Leu Arg Ser Asp Glu Ala Val 515 520 525 aac cga ttc ggc ctg aag gtg tca cag ctg ctg ctg agc aca gac gag 1752 Asn Arg Phe Gly Leu Lys Val Ser Gln Leu Leu Leu Ser Thr Asp Glu 530 535 540 agc acc ttt gat gac atc gtc cat tcg ttt gtg agc ctg act gcc atc 1800 Ser Thr Phe Asp Asp Ile Val His Ser Phe Val Ser Leu Thr Ala Ile 545 550 555 cag ata ggc ctc ata gac ctg ctg agc tgc atg ggg ctg agg cca gat 1848 Gln Ile Gly Leu Ile Asp Leu Leu Ser Cys Met Gly Leu Arg Pro Asp 560 565 570 575 ggc atc gtc ggc cac tcc ctg ggg gag gtg gcc tgt ggc tac gcc gac 1896 Gly Ile Val Gly His Ser Leu Gly Glu Val Ala Cys Gly Tyr Ala Asp 580 585 590 ggc tgc ctg tcc cag gag gag gcc gtc ctc gct gcc tac tgg agg gga 1944 Gly Cys Leu Ser Gln Glu Glu Ala Val Leu Ala Ala Tyr Trp Arg Gly 595 600 605 cag tgc atc aaa gaa gcc cat ctc ccg ccg ggc gcc atg gca gcc gtg 1992 Gln Cys Ile Lys Glu Ala His Leu Pro Pro Gly Ala Met Ala Ala Val 610 615 620 ggc ttg tcc tgg gag gag tgt aaa cag cgc tgc ccc ccg gcg gtg gtg 2040 Gly Leu Ser Trp Glu Glu Cys Lys Gln Arg Cys Pro Pro Ala Val Val 625 630 635 ccc gcc tgc cac aac tcc aag gac aca gtc acc atc tcg gga cct cag 2088 Pro Ala Cys His Asn Ser Lys Asp Thr Val Thr Ile Ser Gly Pro Gln 640 645 650 655 gcc ccg gtg ttt gag ttc gtg gag cag ctg agg aag gag ggt gtg ttt 2136 Ala Pro Val Phe Glu Phe Val Glu Gln Leu Arg Lys Glu Gly Val Phe 660 665 670 gcc aag gag gtg cgg acc ggc ggt atg gcc ttc cac tcc tac ttc atg 2184 Ala Lys Glu Val Arg Thr Gly Gly Met Ala Phe His Ser Tyr Phe Met 675 680 685 gag gcc atc gca ccc cca ctg ctg cag gag ctc aag aag gtg atc cgg 2232 Glu Ala Ile Ala Pro Pro Leu Leu Gln Glu Leu Lys Lys Val Ile Arg 690 695 700 gag ccg aag cca cgt tca gcc cgc tgg ctc agc acc tct atc ccc gag 2280 Glu Pro Lys Pro Arg Ser Ala Arg Trp Leu Ser Thr Ser Ile Pro Glu 705 710 715 gcc cag tgg cac agc agc ctg gca cgc acg tcc tcc gcc gag tac aat 2328 Ala Gln Trp His Ser Ser Leu Ala Arg Thr Ser Ser Ala Glu Tyr Asn 720 725 730 735 gtc aac aac ctg gtg agc cct gtg ctg ttc cag gag gcc ctg tgg cac 2376 Val Asn Asn Leu Val Ser Pro Val Leu Phe Gln Glu Ala Leu Trp His 740 745 750 gtg cct gag cac gcg gtg gtg ctg gag atc gcg ccc cac gcc ctg ctg 2424 Val Pro Glu His Ala Val Val Leu Glu Ile Ala Pro His Ala Leu Leu 755 760 765 cag gct gtc ctg aag cgt ggc ctg aag ccg agc tgc acc atc atc ccc 2472 Gln Ala Val Leu Lys Arg Gly Leu Lys Pro Ser Cys Thr Ile Ile Pro 770 775 780 ctg atg aag aag gat cac agg gac aac ctg gag ttc ttc ctg gcc ggc 2520 Leu Met Lys Lys Asp His Arg Asp Asn Leu Glu Phe Phe Leu Ala Gly 785 790 795 atc cgg agg ctg cac ctc tca ggc atc gac gcc aac ccc aat gcc ttg 2568 Ile Arg Arg Leu His Leu Ser Gly Ile Asp Ala Asn Pro Asn Ala Leu 800 805 810 815 ttc cca cct gtg gag ttc cca gct ccc cga gga act ccc ctc atc tcc 2616 Phe Pro Pro Val Glu Phe Pro Ala Pro Arg Gly Thr Pro Leu Ile Ser 820 825 830 cca ctc atc aag tgg gac cac agc ctg gcc tgg gac gtg ccg gcc gcc 2664 Pro Leu Ile Lys Trp Asp His Ser Leu Ala Trp Asp Val Pro Ala Ala 835 840 845 gag gac ttc ccc aac ggt tca ggt tcc ccc tca gcc gcc atc tac aac 2712 Glu Asp Phe Pro Asn Gly Ser Gly Ser Pro Ser Ala Ala Ile Tyr Asn 850 855 860 atc gac acc agc tcc gag tct cct gac cac tac ctg gtg gac cac acc 2760 Ile Asp Thr Ser Ser Glu Ser Pro Asp His Tyr Leu Val Asp His Thr 865 870 875 ctc gac ggt cgc gtc ctc ttc ccc gcc act ggc tac ctg agc ata gtg 2808 Leu Asp Gly Arg Val Leu Phe Pro Ala Thr Gly Tyr Leu Ser Ile Val 880 885 890 895 tgg aag acg ctg gcc cga ccc ctg ggc ctg ggc gtc gag cag ctg cct 2856 Trp Lys Thr Leu Ala Arg Pro Leu Gly Leu Gly Val Glu Gln Leu Pro 900 905 910 gtg gtg ttt gag gat gtg gtg ctg cac cag gcc acc atc ctg ccc aag 2904 Val Val Phe Glu Asp Val Val Leu His Gln Ala Thr Ile Leu Pro Lys 915 920 925 act ggg aca gtg tcc ctg gag gta cgg ctc ctg gag gcc tcc cgt gcc 2952 Thr Gly Thr Val Ser Leu Glu Val Arg Leu Leu Glu Ala Ser Arg Ala 930 935 940 ttc gag gtg tca gag aac ggc aac ctg gta gtg agt ggg aag gtg tac 3000 Phe Glu Val Ser Glu Asn Gly Asn Leu Val Val Ser Gly Lys Val Tyr 945 950 955 cag tgg gat gac cct gac ccc agg ctc ttc gac cac ccg gaa agc ccc 3048 Gln Trp Asp Asp Pro Asp Pro Arg Leu Phe Asp His Pro Glu Ser Pro 960 965 970 975 acc ccc aac ccc acg gag ccc ctc ttc ctg gcc cag gct gaa gtt tac 3096 Thr Pro Asn Pro Thr Glu Pro Leu Phe Leu Ala Gln Ala Glu Val Tyr 980 985 990 aag gag ctg cgt ctg cgt ggc tac gac tac ggc cct cat ttc cag ggc 3144 Lys Glu Leu Arg Leu Arg Gly Tyr Asp Tyr Gly Pro His Phe Gln Gly 995 1000 1005 atc ctg gag gcc agc ctg gaa ggt gac tcg ggg agg ctg ctg tgg aag 3192 Ile Leu Glu Ala Ser Leu Glu Gly Asp Ser Gly Arg Leu Leu Trp Lys 1010 1015 1020 gat aac tgg gtg agc ttc atg gac acc atg ctg cag atg tcc atc ctg 3240 Asp Asn Trp Val Ser Phe Met Asp Thr Met Leu Gln Met Ser Ile Leu 1025 1030 1035 ggc tcg gcc aag cac ggc ctg tac ctg ccc acc cgt gtc acc gcc atc 3288 Gly Ser Ala Lys His Gly Leu Tyr Leu Pro Thr Arg Val Thr Ala Ile 1040 1045 1050 1055 cac atc gac cct gcc acc cac agg cag aag ctg tac aca ctg cag gac 3336 His Ile Asp Pro Ala Thr His Arg Gln Lys Leu Tyr Thr Leu Gln Asp 1060 1065 1070 aag gcc caa gtg gct gac gtg gtg gtg agc agg tgg ctg agg gtc aca 3384 Lys Ala Gln Val Ala Asp Val Val Val Ser Arg Trp Leu Arg Val Thr 1075 1080 1085 gtg gcc gga ggc gtc cac atc tcc ggg ctc cac act gag tcg gcc ccg 3432 Val Ala Gly Gly Val His Ile Ser Gly Leu His Thr Glu Ser Ala Pro 1090 1095 1100 cgg cgg cag cag gag cag cag gtg ccc atc ctg gag aag ttt tgc ttc 3480 Arg Arg Gln Gln Glu Gln Gln Val Pro Ile Leu Glu Lys Phe Cys Phe 1105 1110 1115 act tcc cac acg gag gag ggg tgc ctg tct gag cgc gct gcc ctg cag 3528 Thr Ser His Thr Glu Glu Gly Cys Leu Ser Glu Arg Ala Ala Leu Gln 1120 1125 1130 1135 gag gag ctg caa ctg tgc aag ggg ctg gtg cag gca ctg cag acc aag 3576 Glu Glu Leu Gln Leu Cys Lys Gly Leu Val Gln Ala Leu Gln Thr Lys 1140 1145 1150 gtg acc cag cag ggg ctg aag atg gtg gtg ccc gga ctg gat ggg gcc 3624 Val Thr Gln Gln Gly Leu Lys Met Val Val Pro Gly Leu Asp Gly Ala 1155 1160 1165 cag atc ccc cgg gac ccc tca cag cag gaa ctg ccc cgg ctg ttg tcg 3672 Gln Ile Pro Arg Asp Pro Ser Gln Gln Glu Leu Pro Arg Leu Leu Ser 1170 1175 1180 gct gcc tgc agg ctt cag ctc aac ggg aac ctg cag ctg gag ctg gcg 3720 Ala Ala Cys Arg Leu Gln Leu Asn Gly Asn Leu Gln Leu Glu Leu Ala 1185 1190 1195 cag gtg ctg gcc cag gag agg ccc aag ctg cca gag gac cct ctg ctc 3768 Gln Val Leu Ala Gln Glu Arg Pro Lys Leu Pro Glu Asp Pro Leu Leu 1200 1205 1210 1215 agc ggc ctc ctg gac tcc ccg gca ctc aag gcc tgc ctg gac act gcc 3816 Ser Gly Leu Leu Asp Ser Pro Ala Leu Lys Ala Cys Leu Asp Thr Ala 1220 1225 1230 gtg gag aac atg ccc agc ctg aag atg aag gtg gtg gag gtg ctg gcc 3864 Val Glu Asn Met Pro Ser Leu Lys Met Lys Val Val Glu Val Leu Ala 1235 1240 1245 ggc cac ggt cac ctg tat tcc cgc atc cca ggc ctg ctc agc ccc cat 3912 Gly His Gly His Leu Tyr Ser Arg Ile Pro Gly Leu Leu Ser Pro His 1250 1255 1260 ccc ctg ctg cag ctg agc tac acg gcc acc gac cgc cac ccc cag gcc 3960 Pro Leu Leu Gln Leu Ser Tyr Thr Ala Thr Asp Arg His Pro Gln Ala 1265 1270 1275 ctg gag gct gcc cag gcc gag ctg cag cag cac gac gtt gcc cag ggc 4008 Leu Glu Ala Ala Gln Ala Glu Leu Gln Gln His Asp Val Ala Gln Gly 1280 1285 1290 1295 cag tgg gat ccc gca gac cct gcc ccc agc gcc ctg ggc agc gcc gac 4056 Gln Trp Asp Pro Ala Asp Pro Ala Pro Ser Ala Leu Gly Ser Ala Asp 1300 1305 1310 ctc ctg gtg tgc aac tgt gct gtg gct gcc ctc ggg gac ccg gcc tca 4104 Leu Leu Val Cys Asn Cys Ala Val Ala Ala Leu Gly Asp Pro Ala Ser 1315 1320 1325 gct ctc agc aac atg gtg gct gcc ctg aga gaa ggg ggc ttt ctg ctc 4152 Ala Leu Ser Asn Met Val Ala Ala Leu Arg Glu Gly Gly Phe Leu Leu 1330 1335 1340 ctg cac aca ctg ctc cgg ggg cac ccc tcg gga cat gtg gcc ttc ctc 4200 Leu His Thr Leu Leu Arg Gly His Pro Ser Gly His Val Ala Phe Leu 1345 1350 1355 acc tcc act gag ccg cag tat ggc cag ggc atc ctg agc cag gac gcg 4248 Thr Ser Thr Glu Pro Gln Tyr Gly Gln Gly Ile Leu Ser Gln Asp Ala 1360 1365 1370 1375 tgg gag agc ctc ttc tcc agg gtg tcc gtg cgc ctg gtg ggc ctg aag 4296 Trp Glu Ser Leu Phe Ser Arg Val Ser Val Arg Leu Val Gly Leu Lys 1380 1385 1390 aag tcc ttc tac ggc tcc acg ctc ttc ctg tgc cgc cgg ccc acc ccg 4344 Lys Ser Phe Tyr Gly Ser Thr Leu Phe Leu Cys Arg Arg Pro Thr Pro 1395 1400 1405 cag gac agc ccc atc ttc ctg ccg gtg gac gat acc agc ttc cgc tgg 4392 Gln Asp Ser Pro Ile Phe Leu Pro Val Asp Asp Thr Ser Phe Arg Trp 1410 1415 1420 gtg gag tct ctg aag ggc atc ctg gct gac gaa gac tct tcc cgg cct 4440 Val Glu Ser Leu Lys Gly Ile Leu Ala Asp Glu Asp Ser Ser Arg Pro 1425 1430 1435 gtg tgg ctg aag gcc atc aac tgt gcc acc tcg ggc gtg gtg ggc ttg 4488 Val Trp Leu Lys Ala Ile Asn Cys Ala Thr Ser Gly Val Val Gly Leu 1440 1445 1450 1455 gtg aac tgt ctc cgc cga gag ccc ggc gga acg ctc cgg tgt gtg ctg 4536 Val Asn Cys Leu Arg Arg Glu Pro Gly Gly Thr Leu Arg Cys Val Leu 1460 1465 1470 ctc tcc aac ctc agc agc acc tcc cac gtc ccg gag gtg gac ccg ggc 4584 Leu Ser Asn Leu Ser Ser Thr Ser His Val Pro Glu Val Asp Pro Gly 1475 1480 1485 tcc gca gaa ctg cag aag gtg ttg cag gga gac ctg gtg atg aac gtc 4632 Ser Ala Glu Leu Gln Lys Val Leu Gln Gly Asp Leu Val Met Asn Val 1490 1495 1500 tac cgc gac ggg gcc tgg ggg gct ttc cgc cac ttc ctg ctg gag gag 4680 Tyr Arg Asp Gly Ala Trp Gly Ala Phe Arg His Phe Leu Leu Glu Glu 1505 1510 1515 gac aag cct gag gag ccg acg gca cat gcc ttt gtg agc acc ctc acc 4728 Asp Lys Pro Glu Glu Pro Thr Ala His Ala Phe Val Ser Thr Leu Thr 1520 1525 1530 1535 cgg ggg gac ctg tcc tcc atc cgc tgg gtc tgc tcc tcg ctg cgc cat 4776 Arg Gly Asp Leu Ser Ser Ile Arg Trp Val Cys Ser Ser Leu Arg His 1540 1545 1550 gcc cag ccc acc tgc cct ggc gcc cag ctc tgc acg gtc tac tac gcc 4824 Ala Gln Pro Thr Cys Pro Gly Ala Gln Leu Cys Thr Val Tyr Tyr Ala 1555 1560 1565 tcc ctc aac ttc cgc gac atc atg ctg gcc act ggc aag ctg tcc cct 4872 Ser Leu Asn Phe Arg Asp Ile Met Leu Ala Thr Gly Lys Leu Ser Pro 1570 1575 1580 gat gcc atc cca ggg aag tgg acc tcc cag gac agc ctg cta ggt atg 4920 Asp Ala Ile Pro Gly Lys Trp Thr Ser Gln Asp Ser Leu Leu Gly Met 1585 1590 1595 gag ttc tcg ggc cga gac gcc agc ggc aag cgt gtg atg gga ctg gtg 4968 Glu Phe Ser Gly Arg Asp Ala Ser Gly Lys Arg Val Met Gly Leu Val 1600 1605 1610 1615 cct gcc aag ggc ctg gcc acc tct gtc ctg ctg tca ccg gac ttc ctc 5016 Pro Ala Lys Gly Leu Ala Thr Ser Val Leu Leu Ser Pro Asp Phe Leu 1620 1625 1630 tgg gat gtg cct tcc aac tgg acg ctg gag gag gcg gcc tcg gtg cct 5064 Trp Asp Val Pro Ser Asn Trp Thr Leu Glu Glu Ala Ala Ser Val Pro 1635 1640 1645 gtc gtc tac agc acg gcc tac tac gcg ctg gtg gtg cgt ggg cgg gtg 5112 Val Val Tyr Ser Thr Ala Tyr Tyr Ala Leu Val Val Arg Gly Arg Val 1650 1655 1660 cgc ccc ggg gag acg ctg ctc atc cac tcg ggc tcg ggc ggc gtg ggc 5160 Arg Pro Gly Glu Thr Leu Leu Ile His Ser Gly Ser Gly Gly Val Gly 1665 1670 1675 cag gcc gcc atc gcc atc gcc ctc agt ctg ggc tgc cgc gtc ttc acc 5208 Gln Ala Ala Ile Ala Ile Ala Leu Ser Leu Gly Cys Arg Val Phe Thr 1680 1685 1690 1695 acc gtg ggg tcg gct gag aag cgg gcg tac ctc cag gcc agg ttc ccc 5256 Thr Val Gly Ser Ala Glu Lys Arg Ala Tyr Leu Gln Ala Arg Phe Pro 1700 1705 1710 cag ctc gac agc acc agc ttc gcc aac tcc cgg gac aca tcc ttc gag 5304 Gln Leu Asp Ser Thr Ser Phe Ala Asn Ser Arg Asp Thr Ser Phe Glu 1715 1720 1725 cag cat gtg ctg tgg cac acg ggc ggg aag ggc gtt gac ctg gtc ttg 5352 Gln His Val Leu Trp His Thr Gly Gly Lys Gly Val Asp Leu Val Leu 1730 1735 1740 aac tcc ttg gcg gaa gag aag ctg cag gcc agc gtg agg tgc ttg gct 5400 Asn Ser Leu Ala Glu Glu Lys Leu Gln Ala Ser Val Arg Cys Leu Ala 1745 1750 1755 acg cac ggt cgc ttc ctg gaa att ggc aaa ttc gac ctt tct cag aac 5448 Thr His Gly Arg Phe Leu Glu Ile Gly Lys Phe Asp Leu Ser Gln Asn 1760 1765 1770 1775 cac ccg ctc ggc atg gct atc ttc ctg aag aac gtg aca ttc cac ggg 5496 His Pro Leu Gly Met Ala Ile Phe Leu Lys Asn Val Thr Phe His Gly 1780 1785 1790 gtc cta ctg gat gcg ttc ttc aac gag agc agt gct gac tgg cgg gag 5544 Val Leu Leu Asp Ala Phe Phe Asn Glu Ser Ser Ala Asp Trp Arg Glu 1795 1800 1805 gtg tgg gcg ctt gtg cag gcc ggc atc cgg gat ggg gtg gta cgg ccc 5592 Val Trp Ala Leu Val Gln Ala Gly Ile Arg Asp Gly Val Val Arg Pro 1810 1815 1820 ctc aag tgc acg gtg ttc cat ggg gcc cag gtg gag gac gcc ttc cgc 5640 Leu Lys Cys Thr Val Phe His Gly Ala Gln Val Glu Asp Ala Phe Arg 1825 1830 1835 tac atg gcc caa ggg aag cac att ggc aaa gtc gtc gtg cag gtg ctt 5688 Tyr Met Ala Gln Gly Lys His Ile Gly Lys Val Val Val Gln Val Leu 1840 1845 1850 1855 gcg gag gag ccg gag gca gtg ctg aag ggg gcc aaa ccc aag ctg atg 5736 Ala Glu Glu Pro Glu Ala Val Leu Lys Gly Ala Lys Pro Lys Leu Met 1860 1865 1870 tcg gcc atc tcc aag acc ttc tgc ccg gcc cac aag agc tac atc atc 5784 Ser Ala Ile Ser Lys Thr Phe Cys Pro Ala His Lys Ser Tyr Ile Ile 1875 1880 1885 gct ggt ggt ctg ggt ggc ttc ggc ctg gag ttg gcg cag tgg ctg ata 5832 Ala Gly Gly Leu Gly Gly Phe Gly Leu Glu Leu Ala Gln Trp Leu Ile 1890 1895 1900 cag cgt ggg gtg cag aag ctc gtg ttg act tct cgc tcc ggg atc cgg 5880 Gln Arg Gly Val Gln Lys Leu Val Leu Thr Ser Arg Ser Gly Ile Arg 1905 1910 1915 aca ggc tac cag gcc aag cag gtc cgc cgg tgg agg gcc cag ggc gta 5928 Thr Gly Tyr Gln Ala Lys Gln Val Arg Arg Trp Arg Ala Gln Gly Val 1920 1925 1930 1935 cag gtg cag gtg tcc acc agc aac atc agc tca ctg gag ggg gcc cgg 5976 Gln Val Gln Val Ser Thr Ser Asn Ile Ser Ser Leu Glu Gly Ala Arg 1940 1945 1950 ggc ctc att gcc gag gcg gcg cag ctt ggg ccc gtg ggc ggc gtc ttc 6024 Gly Leu Ile Ala Glu Ala Ala Gln Leu Gly Pro Val Gly Gly Val Phe 1955 1960 1965 aac ctg gcc gtg gtc ttg aga gat ggc ttg ctg gag aac cag acc cca 6072 Asn Leu Ala Val Val Leu Arg Asp Gly Leu Leu Glu Asn Gln Thr Pro 1970 1975 1980 gag ttc ttc cag gac gtc tgc aag ccc aag tac agc ggc acc ctg aac 6120 Glu Phe Phe Gln Asp Val Cys Lys Pro Lys Tyr Ser Gly Thr Leu Asn 1985 1990 1995 ctg gac agg gtg acc cga gag gcg tgc cct gag ctg gac tac ttt gtg 6168 Leu Asp Arg Val Thr Arg Glu Ala Cys Pro Glu Leu Asp Tyr Phe Val 2000 2005 2010 2015 gtc ttc tcc tct gtg agc tgc ggg cgt ggc aat gcg gga cag agc aac 6216 Val Phe Ser Ser Val Ser Cys Gly Arg Gly Asn Ala Gly Gln Ser Asn 2020 2025 2030 tac ggc ttt gcc aat tcc gcc atg gag cgt atc tgt gag aaa cgc cgg 6264 Tyr Gly Phe Ala Asn Ser Ala Met Glu Arg Ile Cys Glu Lys Arg Arg 2035 2040 2045 cac gaa ggc ctc cca ggc ctg gcc gtg cag tgg ggc gcc atc ggc gac 6312 His Glu Gly Leu Pro Gly Leu Ala Val Gln Trp Gly Ala Ile Gly Asp 2050 2055 2060 gtg ggc att ttg gtg gag acg atg agc acc aac gac acg atc gtc agt 6360 Val Gly Ile Leu Val Glu Thr Met Ser Thr Asn Asp Thr Ile Val Ser 2065 2070 2075 ggc acg ctg ccc cag gcc atg gcg tcc tgc ctg gag gtg ctg gac ctc 6408 Gly Thr Leu Pro Gln Ala Met Ala Ser Cys Leu Glu Val Leu Asp Leu 2080 2085 2090 2095 ttc ctg aac cag ccc cac atg gtc ctg agc agc ttt gtg ctg gct gag 6456 Phe Leu Asn Gln Pro His Met Val Leu Ser Ser Phe Val Leu Ala Glu 2100 2105 2110 aag gct gcg gcc tat agg gac agg gac agc cag cgg gac ctg gtg gag 6504 Lys Ala Ala Ala Tyr Arg Asp Arg Asp Ser Gln Arg Asp Leu Val Glu 2115 2120 2125 gcc gtg gca cac atc ctg ggc atc cgc gac ttg gct gct gtc aac ctg 6552 Ala Val Ala His Ile Leu Gly Ile Arg Asp Leu Ala Ala Val Asn Leu 2130 2135 2140 gac agc tca ctg gcg gac ctg ggc ctg gac tcg ctc atg agc gtg gag 6600 Asp Ser Ser Leu Ala Asp Leu Gly Leu Asp Ser Leu Met Ser Val Glu 2145 2150 2155 gtg cgc cag acg ctg gag cgt gag ctc aac ctg gtg ctg tcc gtg cgc 6648 Val Arg Gln Thr Leu Glu Arg Glu Leu Asn Leu Val Leu Ser Val Arg 2160 2165 2170 2175 gag gtg cgg caa ctc acg ctc cgg aaa ctg cag gag ctg tcc tca aag 6696 Glu Val Arg Gln Leu Thr Leu Arg Lys Leu Gln Glu Leu Ser Ser Lys 2180 2185 2190 gcg gat gag gcc agc gag ctg gca tgc ccc acg ccc aag gag gat ggt 6744 Ala Asp Glu Ala Ser Glu Leu Ala Cys Pro Thr Pro Lys Glu Asp Gly 2195 2200 2205 ctg gcc cag cag cag act cag ctg aac ctg cgc tcc ctg ctg gtg aac 6792 Leu Ala Gln Gln Gln Thr Gln Leu Asn Leu Arg Ser Leu Leu Val Asn 2210 2215 2220 ccg gag ggc ccc acc ctg atg cgg ctc aac tcc gtg cag agc tcg gag 6840 Pro Glu Gly Pro Thr Leu Met Arg Leu Asn Ser Val Gln Ser Ser Glu 2225 2230 2235 cgg ccc ctg ttc ctg gtg cac cca atc gag ggc tcc acc acc gtg ttc 6888 Arg Pro Leu Phe Leu Val His Pro Ile Glu Gly Ser Thr Thr Val Phe 2240 2245 2250 2255 cac agc ctg gcc tcc cgg ctc agc atc ccc acc tat ggc ctg cag tgc 6936 His Ser Leu Ala Ser Arg Leu Ser Ile Pro Thr Tyr Gly Leu Gln Cys 2260 2265 2270 acc cga gct gcg ccc ctt gac agc atc cac agc ctg gct gcc tac tac 6984 Thr Arg Ala Ala Pro Leu Asp Ser Ile His Ser Leu Ala Ala Tyr Tyr 2275 2280 2285 atc gac tgc atc agg cag gtg cag ccc gag ggc ccc tac cgc gtg gcc 7032 Ile Asp Cys Ile Arg Gln Val Gln Pro Glu Gly Pro Tyr Arg Val Ala 2290 2295 2300 ggc tac tcc tac ggg gcc tgc gtg gcc ttt gaa atg tgc tcc cag ctg 7080 Gly Tyr Ser Tyr Gly Ala Cys Val Ala Phe Glu Met Cys Ser Gln Leu 2305 2310 2315 cag gcc cag cag agc cca gcc ccc acc cac aac agc ctc ttc ctg ttc 7128 Gln Ala Gln Gln Ser Pro Ala Pro Thr His Asn Ser Leu Phe Leu Phe 2320 2325 2330 2335 gac ggc tcg ccc acc tac gta ctg gcc tac acc cag agc tac cgg gca 7176 Asp Gly Ser Pro Thr Tyr Val Leu Ala Tyr Thr Gln Ser Tyr Arg Ala 2340 2345 2350 aag ctg acc cca ggc tgt gag gct gag gct gag acg gag gcc ata tgc 7224 Lys Leu Thr Pro Gly Cys Glu Ala Glu Ala Glu Thr Glu Ala Ile Cys 2355 2360 2365 ttc ttc gtg cag cag ttc acg gac atg gag cac aac agg gtg ctg gag 7272 Phe Phe Val Gln Gln Phe Thr Asp Met Glu His Asn Arg Val Leu Glu 2370 2375 2380 gcg ctg ctg ccg ctg aag ggc cta gag gag cgt gtg gca gcc gcc gtg 7320 Ala Leu Leu Pro Leu Lys Gly Leu Glu Glu Arg Val Ala Ala Ala Val 2385 2390 2395 gac ctg atc atc aag agc cac cag ggc ctg gac cgc cag gag ctg agc 7368 Asp Leu Ile Ile Lys Ser His Gln Gly Leu Asp Arg Gln Glu Leu Ser 2400 2405 2410 2415 ttt gcg gcc cgg tcc ttc tac tac aag ctc ggt gcc gct gag cag tac 7416 Phe Ala Ala Arg Ser Phe Tyr Tyr Lys Leu Gly Ala Ala Glu Gln Tyr 2420 2425 2430 aca ccc aag gcc aag tac cat ggc aac gtg atg cta ctg cgc gcc aag 7464 Thr Pro Lys Ala Lys Tyr His Gly Asn Val Met Leu Leu Arg Ala Lys 2435 2440 2445 acg ggt ggc gcc tac ggc gag gac ctg ggc gcg gat tac aac ctc tcc 7512 Thr Gly Gly Ala Tyr Gly Glu Asp Leu Gly Ala Asp Tyr Asn Leu Ser 2450 2455 2460 cag gta tgc gac ggg aaa gta tcc gtc cac gtc atc gag ggt gac cac 7560 Gln Val Cys Asp Gly Lys Val Ser Val His Val Ile Glu Gly Asp His 2465 2470 2475 cgc acg ctg ctg gag ggc agc ggc ctg gag tcc atc atc agc atc atc 7608 Arg Thr Leu Leu Glu Gly Ser Gly Leu Glu Ser Ile Ile Ser Ile Ile 2480 2485 2490 2495 cac agc tcc ctg gct gag cca cgc gtg agc gtg cgg gag ggc tag 7653 His Ser Ser Leu Ala Glu Pro Arg Val Ser Val Arg Glu Gly 2500 2505 gcccgtgccc ccgcctgcca ccggaggtca ctccaccatc cccaccccac cccaccccac 7713 ccccgccatg caacgggatt gaagggtcct gccggtggga ccctgtccgg cccagtgcca 7773 ctgccccccg aggctgctag atgtaggtgt taggcatgtc ccacccaccc gccgcctccc 7833 acggcacctc ggggacacca gagctgccga cttggagact cctggtctgt gaagagccgg 7893 tggtgcccgt tcccgcagga actgggctgg gcctcgtgcg cccgtggggt ctgcgcttgg 7953 tctttctgtg cttggatttg catatttatt gcattgctgg tagagacccc caggcctgtc 8013 caccctgcca agactcctca ggcagcgtgt gggtcccgca ctctgccccc atttccccga 8073 tgtcccctgc gggcgcgggc agccacccaa gcctgctggc tgcggccccc tctcggccag 8133 gcattggctc agccngctga gtggggggtc gtgggccagt ccccgaggag ctgggcccct 8193 gcacaggcac acagggcccg gccacaccca gcggcccccc gcacagccac ccgtggggtg 8253 ctgcccttat cgcccggcgc cgggcaccaa ctccatgttt ggtgtttgtc tgtgtttgtt 8313 tttcaagaaa tgattcaaat tgctgcttgg attttgaaat ttactgtaac tgtcagtgta 8373 cacgtctgga ccccgtttca tttttacacc aatttggtaa aaatgctgct ctcagcctcc 8433 cacaattaaa ccgcatgtga tctcccc 8460 <210> SEQ ID NO 5 <211> LENGTH: 23 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 5 gcaaattcga cctttctcag aac 23 <210> SEQ ID NO 6 <211> LENGTH: 18 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 6 ggaccccgtg gaatgtca 18 <210> SEQ ID NO 7 <211> LENGTH: 23 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Probe <400> SEQUENCE: 7 acccgctcgg catggctatc ttc 23 <210> SEQ ID NO 8 <211> LENGTH: 19 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 8 gaaggtgaag gtcggagtc 19 <210> SEQ ID NO 9 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 9 gaagatggtg atgggatttc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 10 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Probe <400> SEQUENCE: 10 caagcttccc gttctcagcc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 11 <211> LENGTH: 8363 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <220> FEATURE: <221> NAME/KEY: CDS <222> LOCATION: (45)...(7559) <400> SEQUENCE: 11 tcctcgcttg tcgtctgcct ccagagccca gacagagaag agcc atg gag gag gtg 56 Met Glu Glu Val 1 gtg ata gcc ggt atg tcg ggg aag ttg ccc gag tca gag aac cta cag 104 Val Ile Ala Gly Met Ser Gly Lys Leu Pro Glu Ser Glu Asn Leu Gln 5 10 15 20 gag ttc tgg gcc aac ctc att ggt ggt gtg gac atg gtc aca gat gat 152 Glu Phe Trp Ala Asn Leu Ile Gly Gly Val Asp Met Val Thr Asp Asp 25 30 35 gac agg aga tgg aag gct ggg ctc tat gga tta ccc aag cgg tct gga 200 Asp Arg Arg Trp Lys Ala Gly Leu Tyr Gly Leu Pro Lys Arg Ser Gly 40 45 50 aag ctg aag gat ctc tcc aag ttc gac gcc tcc ttt ttt ggg gtc cac 248 Lys Leu Lys Asp Leu Ser Lys Phe Asp Ala Ser Phe Phe Gly Val His 55 60 65 ccc aag cag gca cac aca atg gac ccc cag ctt cgg ctg ctg ttg gaa 296 Pro Lys Gln Ala His Thr Met Asp Pro Gln Leu Arg Leu Leu Leu Glu 70 75 80 gtc agc tat gaa gca att gtg gat gga ggt atc aac cca gcc tca ctc 344 Val Ser Tyr Glu Ala Ile Val Asp Gly Gly Ile Asn Pro Ala Ser Leu 85 90 95 100 cga gga acg aac act ggc gtc tgg gtg ggt gtg agt ggt tca gag gca 392 Arg Gly Thr Asn Thr Gly Val Trp Val Gly Val Ser Gly Ser Glu Ala 105 110 115 tcc gag gcc ctt agc aga gat ccc gag acg ctt ctg ggc tac agc atg 440 Ser Glu Ala Leu Ser Arg Asp Pro Glu Thr Leu Leu Gly Tyr Ser Met 120 125 130 gtg ggc tgc cag cgt gca atg atg gcc aac cgg ctc tct ttc ttc ttc 488 Val Gly Cys Gln Arg Ala Met Met Ala Asn Arg Leu Ser Phe Phe Phe 135 140 145 gac ttc aaa gga cca agc att gcc ctg gac aca gcc tgc tcc tcc agc 536 Asp Phe Lys Gly Pro Ser Ile Ala Leu Asp Thr Ala Cys Ser Ser Ser 150 155 160 ttg ctg gca cta cag aat gcc tac cag gcc atc cgt agt ggg gaa tgc 584 Leu Leu Ala Leu Gln Asn Ala Tyr Gln Ala Ile Arg Ser Gly Glu Cys 165 170 175 180 ccc gcg gcc ctt gtg ggt ggg atc aac ctg ctc ctg aag ccg aac acc 632 Pro Ala Ala Leu Val Gly Gly Ile Asn Leu Leu Leu Lys Pro Asn Thr 185 190 195 tct gtg cag ttc atg aag ctg ggc atg ctc agc ccg gac ggc acc tgc 680 Ser Val Gln Phe Met Lys Leu Gly Met Leu Ser Pro Asp Gly Thr Cys 200 205 210 aga tcc ttt gat gat tca ggg agt gga tat tgt cgc tct gag gct gtt 728 Arg Ser Phe Asp Asp Ser Gly Ser Gly Tyr Cys Arg Ser Glu Ala Val 215 220 225 gta gca gtt ctg ctg act aag aag tcc ctg gct cgg cgg gtc tat gcc 776 Val Ala Val Leu Leu Thr Lys Lys Ser Leu Ala Arg Arg Val Tyr Ala 230 235 240 acg att ctg aat gcc ggc acc aat aca gat ggc agc aag gag caa ggt 824 Thr Ile Leu Asn Ala Gly Thr Asn Thr Asp Gly Ser Lys Glu Gln Gly 245 250 255 260 gta aca ttc ccc tct gga gaa gtc caa gaa caa ctc atc tgc tct ctg 872 Val Thr Phe Pro Ser Gly Glu Val Gln Glu Gln Leu Ile Cys Ser Leu 265 270 275 tat cag cca gct ggt ctg gcc ccg gag tcg ctt gag tat att gaa gcc 920 Tyr Gln Pro Ala Gly Leu Ala Pro Glu Ser Leu Glu Tyr Ile Glu Ala 280 285 290 cat ggc acg ggc acc aag gtg ggt gac ccc cag gaa ctg aat ggc att 968 His Gly Thr Gly Thr Lys Val Gly Asp Pro Gln Glu Leu Asn Gly Ile 295 300 305 act cgg tcc ctg tgc gcc ttc cgc cag gcc cct ctg tta att ggc tcc 1016 Thr Arg Ser Leu Cys Ala Phe Arg Gln Ala Pro Leu Leu Ile Gly Ser 310 315 320 acc aaa tcc aac atg gga cac cct gag cct gcc tct ggg ctt gca gcc 1064 Thr Lys Ser Asn Met Gly His Pro Glu Pro Ala Ser Gly Leu Ala Ala 325 330 335 340 ctg acc aag gtg ctg tta tcc ctg gag cat ggg gtc tgg gcc cct aac 1112 Leu Thr Lys Val Leu Leu Ser Leu Glu His Gly Val Trp Ala Pro Asn 345 350 355 ctg cac ttc cac aac ccc aac cct gag atc cca gca ctt ctt gat ggg 1160 Leu His Phe His Asn Pro Asn Pro Glu Ile Pro Ala Leu Leu Asp Gly 360 365 370 cgg ctg cag gtg gtc gat agg ccc ctg cct gtt cgt ggt ggc aac gtg 1208 Arg Leu Gln Val Val Asp Arg Pro Leu Pro Val Arg Gly Gly Asn Val 375 380 385 ggc atc aac tca ttt ggc ttc gga ggc tcc aat gtt cat gtc atc ctc 1256 Gly Ile Asn Ser Phe Gly Phe Gly Gly Ser Asn Val His Val Ile Leu 390 395 400 cag ccc aac aca cgg cag gcc cct gcg ccc act gca cac gct gcc ctt 1304 Gln Pro Asn Thr Arg Gln Ala Pro Ala Pro Thr Ala His Ala Ala Leu 405 410 415 420 ccc cat ttg ctg cac gcc agt gga cgc acc tta gag gca gtg cag gac 1352 Pro His Leu Leu His Ala Ser Gly Arg Thr Leu Glu Ala Val Gln Asp 425 430 435 ctg ctg gaa cag ggc cgc cag cac agc cag gac ctg gcc ttt gtg agc 1400 Leu Leu Glu Gln Gly Arg Gln His Ser Gln Asp Leu Ala Phe Val Ser 440 445 450 atg ctc aat gac att gcg gca acc cct aca gca gcc atg ccc ttc agg 1448 Met Leu Asn Asp Ile Ala Ala Thr Pro Thr Ala Ala Met Pro Phe Arg 455 460 465 ggt tac act gtg cta ggt gtt gag ggc cgt gtc caa gaa gtg cag caa 1496 Gly Tyr Thr Val Leu Gly Val Glu Gly Arg Val Gln Glu Val Gln Gln 470 475 480 gtg tcc acc aac aag cgc cca ctc tgg ttc atc tgc tca ggg atg ggc 1544 Val Ser Thr Asn Lys Arg Pro Leu Trp Phe Ile Cys Ser Gly Met Gly 485 490 495 500 acg cag tgg cgc ggg atg ggg ctg agc ctc atg cgc ctg gac agc ttc 1592 Thr Gln Trp Arg Gly Met Gly Leu Ser Leu Met Arg Leu Asp Ser Phe 505 510 515 cgt gag tct atc ctg cgc tcc gat gag gct gtg aag ccg ttg gga gtg 1640 Arg Glu Ser Ile Leu Arg Ser Asp Glu Ala Val Lys Pro Leu Gly Val 520 525 530 aaa gtg tca gat ctg ctg ttg agc aca gat gag cgc acc ttt gat gac 1688 Lys Val Ser Asp Leu Leu Leu Ser Thr Asp Glu Arg Thr Phe Asp Asp 535 540 545 atc gtg cat gcc ttt gtg agc ctc act gcc atc cag att gcc ctc atc 1736 Ile Val His Ala Phe Val Ser Leu Thr Ala Ile Gln Ile Ala Leu Ile 550 555 560 gac cta ctg act tct gtg gga ctg aaa cct gac ggc atc att ggg cac 1784 Asp Leu Leu Thr Ser Val Gly Leu Lys Pro Asp Gly Ile Ile Gly His 565 570 575 580 tcc ttg gga gag gtt gcc tgt ggc tat gca gat ggc tgt ctc tcc cag 1832 Ser Leu Gly Glu Val Ala Cys Gly Tyr Ala Asp Gly Cys Leu Ser Gln 585 590 595 aga gag gct gtg ctt gca gct tac tgg cga ggc cag tgc atc aaa gat 1880 Arg Glu Ala Val Leu Ala Ala Tyr Trp Arg Gly Gln Cys Ile Lys Asp 600 605 610 gcc cac ctc ccg cct gga tcc atg gca gct gtt ggt ttg tcc tgg gag 1928 Ala His Leu Pro Pro Gly Ser Met Ala Ala Val Gly Leu Ser Trp Glu 615 620 625 gaa tgt aaa cag cgc tgc ccc gct ggc gtg gtg cct gcc tgc cac aac 1976 Glu Cys Lys Gln Arg Cys Pro Ala Gly Val Val Pro Ala Cys His Asn 630 635 640 tct gag gac acc gtg acc atc tct gga cct cag gct gca gtg aat gaa 2024 Ser Glu Asp Thr Val Thr Ile Ser Gly Pro Gln Ala Ala Val Asn Glu 645 650 655 660 ttt gtg gag cag cta aag caa gaa ggt gtg ttt gcc aag gag gta cga 2072 Phe Val Glu Gln Leu Lys Gln Glu Gly Val Phe Ala Lys Glu Val Arg 665 670 675 aca gga ggc ctg gct ttc cac tcc tac ttc atg gaa gga att gcc ccc 2120 Thr Gly Gly Leu Ala Phe His Ser Tyr Phe Met Glu Gly Ile Ala Pro 680 685 690 aca ttg ctg cag gct ctc aag aag gtg atc cgg gaa cca cgg ccg cgc 2168 Thr Leu Leu Gln Ala Leu Lys Lys Val Ile Arg Glu Pro Arg Pro Arg 695 700 705 tcg gct cga tgg ctc agc acc tct atc cct gag gcc cag tgg cag agc 2216 Ser Ala Arg Trp Leu Ser Thr Ser Ile Pro Glu Ala Gln Trp Gln Ser 710 715 720 agc ctg gcc cgc aca tct tct gcc gag tac aat gtc aac aac ctg gtg 2264 Ser Leu Ala Arg Thr Ser Ser Ala Glu Tyr Asn Val Asn Asn Leu Val 725 730 735 740 agc cct gtg ctc ttc cag gaa gca ctg tgg cac atc cct gag cat gcc 2312 Ser Pro Val Leu Phe Gln Glu Ala Leu Trp His Ile Pro Glu His Ala 745 750 755 gtg gtg ctg gag att gcg ccc cac gca ctg ttg cag gct gtc ctg aag 2360 Val Val Leu Glu Ile Ala Pro His Ala Leu Leu Gln Ala Val Leu Lys 760 765 770 cga ggc gtg aag tcc agc tgc acc atc att ccc ttg atg aag agg gat 2408 Arg Gly Val Lys Ser Ser Cys Thr Ile Ile Pro Leu Met Lys Arg Asp 775 780 785 cat aaa gat aac ttg gag ttc ttt ctc acc aac ctt ggc aag gtg cac 2456 His Lys Asp Asn Leu Glu Phe Phe Leu Thr Asn Leu Gly Lys Val His 790 795 800 ctc aca ggc atc aat gtc aac cct aac gcc ttg ttc cca cct gtg gag 2504 Leu Thr Gly Ile Asn Val Asn Pro Asn Ala Leu Phe Pro Pro Val Glu 805 810 815 820 ttc ccg gct ccc cga ggg act cct ctc atc tcc cct cac atc aag tgg 2552 Phe Pro Ala Pro Arg Gly Thr Pro Leu Ile Ser Pro His Ile Lys Trp 825 830 835 gac cac agt cag act tgg gat gtc ccg gtt gct gag gac ttc cca aac 2600 Asp His Ser Gln Thr Trp Asp Val Pro Val Ala Glu Asp Phe Pro Asn 840 845 850 ggc tcc agc tcc tcc tct gct aca gtc tac agc atc gac gcc agt cct 2648 Gly Ser Ser Ser Ser Ser Ala Thr Val Tyr Ser Ile Asp Ala Ser Pro 855 860 865 gag tcg ccc gac cac tac ctg gta gac cac tgc att gac ggc cgg gtc 2696 Glu Ser Pro Asp His Tyr Leu Val Asp His Cys Ile Asp Gly Arg Val 870 875 880 atc ttc cct ggc act ggc tac ctg tgc ctg gtg tgg aag aca ctg gct 2744 Ile Phe Pro Gly Thr Gly Tyr Leu Cys Leu Val Trp Lys Thr Leu Ala 885 890 895 900 cgc agc ctg ggc ttg tcc cta gaa gag acc cct gtg gta ttt gag aat 2792 Arg Ser Leu Gly Leu Ser Leu Glu Glu Thr Pro Val Val Phe Glu Asn 905 910 915 gtg tcg ttt cat cag gcc act ata cta ccc aag aca gga acc gtg gcg 2840 Val Ser Phe His Gln Ala Thr Ile Leu Pro Lys Thr Gly Thr Val Ala 920 925 930 ctg gag gtg agg ctg cta gag gcc tcc cat gcc ttt gag gtg tct gac 2888 Leu Glu Val Arg Leu Leu Glu Ala Ser His Ala Phe Glu Val Ser Asp 935 940 945 act ggc aat ctg att gtg agc gga aaa gtg tac ctg tgg gaa gac ccg 2936 Thr Gly Asn Leu Ile Val Ser Gly Lys Val Tyr Leu Trp Glu Asp Pro 950 955 960 aac tcc aag tta ttc gac cac cca gaa gtc cca aca ccc cct gag tct 2984 Asn Ser Lys Leu Phe Asp His Pro Glu Val Pro Thr Pro Pro Glu Ser 965 970 975 980 gca tcg gtc tcc cgc ctg acc cag gga gaa gta tac aag gag ctg cgg 3032 Ala Ser Val Ser Arg Leu Thr Gln Gly Glu Val Tyr Lys Glu Leu Arg 985 990 995 ctg cgt ggc tat gat tat ggc cct cag ttc cag ggc atc tgt gag gcc 3080 Leu Arg Gly Tyr Asp Tyr Gly Pro Gln Phe Gln Gly Ile Cys Glu Ala 1000 1005 1010 acc ctt gaa ggt gaa caa ggc aag ctg ctc tgg aaa gat aac tgg gtg 3128 Thr Leu Glu Gly Glu Gln Gly Lys Leu Leu Trp Lys Asp Asn Trp Val 1015 1020 1025 acc ttc atg gac aca atg ctg cag gta tcc att ctg ggt tct agc cag 3176 Thr Phe Met Asp Thr Met Leu Gln Val Ser Ile Leu Gly Ser Ser Gln 1030 1035 1040 cag agt cta cag cta cct acc cgt gtg acc gcc atc tat atc gac cct 3224 Gln Ser Leu Gln Leu Pro Thr Arg Val Thr Ala Ile Tyr Ile Asp Pro 1045 1050 1055 1060 gcc acc cac cgt cag aag gtg tac agg ctg aag gag gac act caa gtg 3272 Ala Thr His Arg Gln Lys Val Tyr Arg Leu Lys Glu Asp Thr Gln Val 1065 1070 1075 gct gat gtg aca acg agc cgc tgt ctg ggc ata acg gtc tct ggt ggt 3320 Ala Asp Val Thr Thr Ser Arg Cys Leu Gly Ile Thr Val Ser Gly Gly 1080 1085 1090 atc cac atc tca aga cta cag acg aca gca acc tca cgg cgg cag caa 3368 Ile His Ile Ser Arg Leu Gln Thr Thr Ala Thr Ser Arg Arg Gln Gln 1095 1100 1105 gaa cag ctg gtc ccc acc ttg gaa aag ttc gtt ttc aca ccg cac atg 3416 Glu Gln Leu Val Pro Thr Leu Glu Lys Phe Val Phe Thr Pro His Met 1110 1115 1120 gag gct gag tgc ctg tct gag agc act gcc ctg cag aag gag ctg caa 3464 Glu Ala Glu Cys Leu Ser Glu Ser Thr Ala Leu Gln Lys Glu Leu Gln 1125 1130 1135 1140 ctg tgc aag ggt ctg gca cgg gct ctg cag acc aag gcc acc cag caa 3512 Leu Cys Lys Gly Leu Ala Arg Ala Leu Gln Thr Lys Ala Thr Gln Gln 1145 1150 1155 ggg ctg aag gcg gca atg ctt ggg caa gag gac cct cca cag cac ggg 3560 Gly Leu Lys Ala Ala Met Leu Gly Gln Glu Asp Pro Pro Gln His Gly 1160 1165 1170 ctg cct cga ctc ctg gca gct gct tgc cag ttg cag ctc aac ggg aac 3608 Leu Pro Arg Leu Leu Ala Ala Ala Cys Gln Leu Gln Leu Asn Gly Asn 1175 1180 1185 ctg cag ctg gag ctg gga gaa gcg ctg gct caa gag agg ctc ctg ctg 3656 Leu Gln Leu Glu Leu Gly Glu Ala Leu Ala Gln Glu Arg Leu Leu Leu 1190 1195 1200 cca gaa gac cct ctg atc agt ggc ctc ctc aac tcc cag gcc ctc aag 3704 Pro Glu Asp Pro Leu Ile Ser Gly Leu Leu Asn Ser Gln Ala Leu Lys 1205 1210 1215 1220 gcc tgc gta gac aca gcc ctg gag aac ttg tct act ctc aag atg aag 3752 Ala Cys Val Asp Thr Ala Leu Glu Asn Leu Ser Thr Leu Lys Met Lys 1225 1230 1235 gtg gca gag gtg ctg gct gga gaa ggc cac ttg tat tcc cga atc ccg 3800 Val Ala Glu Val Leu Ala Gly Glu Gly His Leu Tyr Ser Arg Ile Pro 1240 1245 1250 gca ctg ctc aac acc cag ccc atg cta caa ctg gaa tac aca gcc acc 3848 Ala Leu Leu Asn Thr Gln Pro Met Leu Gln Leu Glu Tyr Thr Ala Thr 1255 1260 1265 gac cgg cac ccc cag gcc ctg aag gat gtt cag acc aaa ctg cag cag 3896 Asp Arg His Pro Gln Ala Leu Lys Asp Val Gln Thr Lys Leu Gln Gln 1270 1275 1280 cat gat gtg gcg cag ggc cag tgg aac cct tcc gac cct gcg ccc agc 3944 His Asp Val Ala Gln Gly Gln Trp Asn Pro Ser Asp Pro Ala Pro Ser 1285 1290 1295 1300 agc ctg ggt gcc ctt gac ctt ctg gtg tgc aac tgt gca tta gcc acc 3992 Ser Leu Gly Ala Leu Asp Leu Leu Val Cys Asn Cys Ala Leu Ala Thr 1305 1310 1315 ctg ggg gat cca gcc ttg gcc ctg gac aac atg gta gct gcc ctc aag 4040 Leu Gly Asp Pro Ala Leu Ala Leu Asp Asn Met Val Ala Ala Leu Lys 1320 1325 1330 gaa ggt ggt ttc ctg cta gtg cac aca gtg ctc aaa gga cat gcc ctt 4088 Glu Gly Gly Phe Leu Leu Val His Thr Val Leu Lys Gly His Ala Leu 1335 1340 1345 ggg gag acc ctg gcc tgc cta ccc tct gag gtg cag cct gcg ccc agc 4136 Gly Glu Thr Leu Ala Cys Leu Pro Ser Glu Val Gln Pro Ala Pro Ser 1350 1355 1360 ctc cta agc cag gag gag tgg gag agc ctg ttc tcg agg aag gca cta 4184 Leu Leu Ser Gln Glu Glu Trp Glu Ser Leu Phe Ser Arg Lys Ala Leu 1365 1370 1375 1380 cac ctg gtg ggc ctt aaa agg tcc ttc tac ggt act gcg ctg ttc ctg 4232 His Leu Val Gly Leu Lys Arg Ser Phe Tyr Gly Thr Ala Leu Phe Leu 1385 1390 1395 tgc cgg cga gcc atc cca cag gag aaa cct atc ttc ctg tct gtg gag 4280 Cys Arg Arg Ala Ile Pro Gln Glu Lys Pro Ile Phe Leu Ser Val Glu 1400 1405 1410 gat acc agc ttc cag tgg gtg gac tct ctg aag agc act ctg gcc acg 4328 Asp Thr Ser Phe Gln Trp Val Asp Ser Leu Lys Ser Thr Leu Ala Thr 1415 1420 1425 tcc tcc tcc cag cct gtg tgg cta acg gcc atg gac tgc ccc acc tcg 4376 Ser Ser Ser Gln Pro Val Trp Leu Thr Ala Met Asp Cys Pro Thr Ser 1430 1435 1440 ggt gtg gtg ggt ttg gtg aat tgt ctc cga aaa gag ccg ggt gga cac 4424 Gly Val Val Gly Leu Val Asn Cys Leu Arg Lys Glu Pro Gly Gly His 1445 1450 1455 1460 cgg att cgg tgt atc ctg ctg tcc aac ctc agc aac aca tct cac gcc 4472 Arg Ile Arg Cys Ile Leu Leu Ser Asn Leu Ser Asn Thr Ser His Ala 1465 1470 1475 ccc aag ttg gac cct ggc tct cca gag cta cag cag gtg cta aag cat 4520 Pro Lys Leu Asp Pro Gly Ser Pro Glu Leu Gln Gln Val Leu Lys His 1480 1485 1490 gac ctc gtg atg aac gtg tac cgg gac ggg gcc tgg ggt gcc ttc cgt 4568 Asp Leu Val Met Asn Val Tyr Arg Asp Gly Ala Trp Gly Ala Phe Arg 1495 1500 1505 cac ttc cag tta gag cag gac aag ccc aag gag cag aca gcg cat gcc 4616 His Phe Gln Leu Glu Gln Asp Lys Pro Lys Glu Gln Thr Ala His Ala 1510 1515 1520 ttt gta aac gtc ctc acc cga ggg gac ctc gcc tcc atc cgc tgg gtc 4664 Phe Val Asn Val Leu Thr Arg Gly Asp Leu Ala Ser Ile Arg Trp Val 1525 1530 1535 1540 tcc tcc ccc ctg aag cac acg cag ccc tcg agc tca gga gca cag ctc 4712 Ser Ser Pro Leu Lys His Thr Gln Pro Ser Ser Ser Gly Ala Gln Leu 1545 1550 1555 tgc act gtc tac tac gcc tca ctg aac ttc cga gac atc atg ctg gcc 4760 Cys Thr Val Tyr Tyr Ala Ser Leu Asn Phe Arg Asp Ile Met Leu Ala 1560 1565 1570 acg ggc aag ctg tcc cct gat gcc att cca ggt aaa tgg gcc agc cga 4808 Thr Gly Lys Leu Ser Pro Asp Ala Ile Pro Gly Lys Trp Ala Ser Arg 1575 1580 1585 gac tgc atg ctc ggc atg gag ttc tca ggc cgg gat agg tgt ggc cgg 4856 Asp Cys Met Leu Gly Met Glu Phe Ser Gly Arg Asp Arg Cys Gly Arg 1590 1595 1600 cgt gtg atg ggg ctg gtt cct gca gaa ggc ctg gcc acc tca gtc ctg 4904 Arg Val Met Gly Leu Val Pro Ala Glu Gly Leu Ala Thr Ser Val Leu 1605 1610 1615 1620 cta tca tct gac ttc ctc tgg gat gta ccc tcc agc tgg acc ctg gag 4952 Leu Ser Ser Asp Phe Leu Trp Asp Val Pro Ser Ser Trp Thr Leu Glu 1625 1630 1635 gag gcg gcc tct gtg ccc gtc gtc tat acc act gct tac tac tcg tta 5000 Glu Ala Ala Ser Val Pro Val Val Tyr Thr Thr Ala Tyr Tyr Ser Leu 1640 1645 1650 gtg gtt cgc ggg cgc atc cag cgt ggg gag acc gtg ctc atc cac tca 5048 Val Val Arg Gly Arg Ile Gln Arg Gly Glu Thr Val Leu Ile His Ser 1655 1660 1665 ggt tca ggt ggt gtg ggc caa gcg gcc att tcc att gcc ctc agt ctg 5096 Gly Ser Gly Gly Val Gly Gln Ala Ala Ile Ser Ile Ala Leu Ser Leu 1670 1675 1680 ggc tgc cgc gtc ttc acc act gtg ggc tct gca gag aag cga gca tac 5144 Gly Cys Arg Val Phe Thr Thr Val Gly Ser Ala Glu Lys Arg Ala Tyr 1685 1690 1695 1700 ctc cag gcc agg ttc cct cag ctt gat gac acc agc ttt gcc aac tcg 5192 Leu Gln Ala Arg Phe Pro Gln Leu Asp Asp Thr Ser Phe Ala Asn Ser 1705 1710 1715 agg gac aca tca ttt gag cag cac gtg tta ctg cac aca ggt ggc aaa 5240 Arg Asp Thr Ser Phe Glu Gln His Val Leu Leu His Thr Gly Gly Lys 1720 1725 1730 ggg gtc gac ctg gtc ctc aac tca ctg gca gaa gag aag ctg cag gcc 5288 Gly Val Asp Leu Val Leu Asn Ser Leu Ala Glu Glu Lys Leu Gln Ala 1735 1740 1745 agt gtg cgg tgc ttg gct cag cat ggt cgc ttc tta gag att ggc aaa 5336 Ser Val Arg Cys Leu Ala Gln His Gly Arg Phe Leu Glu Ile Gly Lys 1750 1755 1760 ttt gat ctt tct aac aac cac cct ctg ggc atg gct atc ttc ttg aag 5384 Phe Asp Leu Ser Asn Asn His Pro Leu Gly Met Ala Ile Phe Leu Lys 1765 1770 1775 1780 aac gtc act ttc cat ggg atc ctg ctg gac gcc ctt ttt gag gag gcc 5432 Asn Val Thr Phe His Gly Ile Leu Leu Asp Ala Leu Phe Glu Glu Ala 1785 1790 1795 aat gac agc tgg cgg gag gtg gcg gca ctc ctg aag gct ggc att cgt 5480 Asn Asp Ser Trp Arg Glu Val Ala Ala Leu Leu Lys Ala Gly Ile Arg 1800 1805 1810 gat gga gtc gtg aag ccc ctc aag tgc aca gtg ttt ccc aag gcc cag 5528 Asp Gly Val Val Lys Pro Leu Lys Cys Thr Val Phe Pro Lys Ala Gln 1815 1820 1825 gtg gaa gat gcc ttc cgc tac atg gct cag ggg aaa cac att ggc aaa 5576 Val Glu Asp Ala Phe Arg Tyr Met Ala Gln Gly Lys His Ile Gly Lys 1830 1835 1840 gtc ctt gtc cag gta cgg gag gag gag cct gag gct gtg ctg cca ggg 5624 Val Leu Val Gln Val Arg Glu Glu Glu Pro Glu Ala Val Leu Pro Gly 1845 1850 1855 1860 gct cag ccc acc ctg att tct gcc atc tcc aag acc ttc tgc cca gcc 5672 Ala Gln Pro Thr Leu Ile Ser Ala Ile Ser Lys Thr Phe Cys Pro Ala 1865 1870 1875 cat aag agt tac atc atc act ggt ggc cta ggt ggc ttt ggc ctg gag 5720 His Lys Ser Tyr Ile Ile Thr Gly Gly Leu Gly Gly Phe Gly Leu Glu 1880 1885 1890 ctg gcc cgg tgg ctc gtg ctt cgc gga gcc cag agg ctt gtg ctg act 5768 Leu Ala Arg Trp Leu Val Leu Arg Gly Ala Gln Arg Leu Val Leu Thr 1895 1900 1905 tcc cga tct gga atc cgc acc ggc tac caa gcc aag cac att cgg gag 5816 Ser Arg Ser Gly Ile Arg Thr Gly Tyr Gln Ala Lys His Ile Arg Glu 1910 1915 1920 tgg aga cgc cag ggc atc caa gtg ctc gtg tca aca agc aac gtg agc 5864 Trp Arg Arg Gln Gly Ile Gln Val Leu Val Ser Thr Ser Asn Val Ser 1925 1930 1935 1940 tca ctg gag ggg gcc cgt gct ctc atc gcc gaa gcc aca aag ctg ggg 5912 Ser Leu Glu Gly Ala Arg Ala Leu Ile Ala Glu Ala Thr Lys Leu Gly 1945 1950 1955 ccc gtt ggg ggt gtc ttc aac ctg gcc atg gtt ttg agg gat gcc atg 5960 Pro Val Gly Gly Val Phe Asn Leu Ala Met Val Leu Arg Asp Ala Met 1960 1965 1970 ctg gag aac cag acc cca gag ctc ttc cag gat gtc aac aag ccc aaa 6008 Leu Glu Asn Gln Thr Pro Glu Leu Phe Gln Asp Val Asn Lys Pro Lys 1975 1980 1985 tac aat ggc acc ctg aac ctt gac agg gca acc cgg gaa gcc tgc cct 6056 Tyr Asn Gly Thr Leu Asn Leu Asp Arg Ala Thr Arg Glu Ala Cys Pro 1990 1995 2000 gag ctg gac tac ttt gtg gcc ttc tcc tct gta agc tgc ggg cgt ggt 6104 Glu Leu Asp Tyr Phe Val Ala Phe Ser Ser Val Ser Cys Gly Arg Gly 2005 2010 2015 2020 aat gct ggc caa act aac tac ggc ttc gcc aac tct acc atg gag cgt 6152 Asn Ala Gly Gln Thr Asn Tyr Gly Phe Ala Asn Ser Thr Met Glu Arg 2025 2030 2035 ata tgt gaa cag cgc agg cac gat ggc ctc cca ggc ctt gcc gtg cag 6200 Ile Cys Glu Gln Arg Arg His Asp Gly Leu Pro Gly Leu Ala Val Gln 2040 2045 2050 tgg ggt gcc att ggt gac gtg ggc att gtc ctg gaa gcg atg ggc acc 6248 Trp Gly Ala Ile Gly Asp Val Gly Ile Val Leu Glu Ala Met Gly Thr 2055 2060 2065 aat gac aca gtc atc gga ggt acg ctg cct cag cgc atc tcc tcc tgc 6296 Asn Asp Thr Val Ile Gly Gly Thr Leu Pro Gln Arg Ile Ser Ser Cys 2070 2075 2080 atg gag gta ctg gac ctc ttc ctg aat cag ccc cac gca gtc ctg agc 6344 Met Glu Val Leu Asp Leu Phe Leu Asn Gln Pro His Ala Val Leu Ser 2085 2090 2095 2100 agc ttt gtg ctg gca gag aag aaa gct gtg gcc cat ggg gac ggg gac 6392 Ser Phe Val Leu Ala Glu Lys Lys Ala Val Ala His Gly Asp Gly Asp 2105 2110 2115 acc cag agg gat ctg gtg aaa gct gta gca cac atc cta ggc atc cga 6440 Thr Gln Arg Asp Leu Val Lys Ala Val Ala His Ile Leu Gly Ile Arg 2120 2125 2130 gac ctc gca ggt att aac ctg gac agc acg ctg gca gac ctc ggc ctg 6488 Asp Leu Ala Gly Ile Asn Leu Asp Ser Thr Leu Ala Asp Leu Gly Leu 2135 2140 2145 gac tcg ctc atg ggt gtg gaa gtt cgt cag atc ctg gaa cga gaa cac 6536 Asp Ser Leu Met Gly Val Glu Val Arg Gln Ile Leu Glu Arg Glu His 2150 2155 2160 gat ctg gtg ctg ccc atg cgt gag gtg cgg cag ctc acg ctg cgg aaa 6584 Asp Leu Val Leu Pro Met Arg Glu Val Arg Gln Leu Thr Leu Arg Lys 2165 2170 2175 2180 ctt cag gaa atg tcc tcc aag act gac tcg gct act gac acg aca gcc 6632 Leu Gln Glu Met Ser Ser Lys Thr Asp Ser Ala Thr Asp Thr Thr Ala 2185 2190 2195 ccc aag tcc agg agt gac acg tct ctg aag cag aac caa ctg aac ctg 6680 Pro Lys Ser Arg Ser Asp Thr Ser Leu Lys Gln Asn Gln Leu Asn Leu 2200 2205 2210 agc aca ctg ctg gtg aac cct gag ggt cct acc cta acc cag ctc aac 6728 Ser Thr Leu Leu Val Asn Pro Glu Gly Pro Thr Leu Thr Gln Leu Asn 2215 2220 2225 tcg gtg cag agc tct gag cgg cct ctg ttc ctt gtg cac ccc att gag 6776 Ser Val Gln Ser Ser Glu Arg Pro Leu Phe Leu Val His Pro Ile Glu 2230 2235 2240 ggt tcc acc acc gtg ttc cac agt ctg gct gcc aag ctc agt gtg ccc 6824 Gly Ser Thr Thr Val Phe His Ser Leu Ala Ala Lys Leu Ser Val Pro 2245 2250 2255 2260 acc tac ggc ctg cag tgc acc caa gct gcc ccc ctg gat agc att ccg 6872 Thr Tyr Gly Leu Gln Cys Thr Gln Ala Ala Pro Leu Asp Ser Ile Pro 2265 2270 2275 aac ctg gct gcc tac tac ata gat tgc atc aag caa gtg cag cct gag 6920 Asn Leu Ala Ala Tyr Tyr Ile Asp Cys Ile Lys Gln Val Gln Pro Glu 2280 2285 2290 gga ccc tac cgc ata gct ggg tac tca ttt gga gcc tgt gta gcc ttc 6968 Gly Pro Tyr Arg Ile Ala Gly Tyr Ser Phe Gly Ala Cys Val Ala Phe 2295 2300 2305 gag atg tgc tcc cag ctg cag gcc cag cag ggc cca gcc ccg acc cac 7016 Glu Met Cys Ser Gln Leu Gln Ala Gln Gln Gly Pro Ala Pro Thr His 2310 2315 2320 aac aac ctc ttc ctg ttt gac ggc tca cac acc tac gtg ttg gcc tac 7064 Asn Asn Leu Phe Leu Phe Asp Gly Ser His Thr Tyr Val Leu Ala Tyr 2325 2330 2335 2340 acc cag agc tac cgg gca aag atg acc cca ggc tgt gaa gcc gag gcc 7112 Thr Gln Ser Tyr Arg Ala Lys Met Thr Pro Gly Cys Glu Ala Glu Ala 2345 2350 2355 gag gct gag gcc tta tgc ttc ttc ata aag cag ttt ctt gat gtg gaa 7160 Glu Ala Glu Ala Leu Cys Phe Phe Ile Lys Gln Phe Leu Asp Val Glu 2360 2365 2370 cac agc aag gtg ctg gag gcc ctg ctg cca ctg aag agc ctg gaa gat 7208 His Ser Lys Val Leu Glu Ala Leu Leu Pro Leu Lys Ser Leu Glu Asp 2375 2380 2385 cgg gtg gct gcc tcc gtg gac ctt atc act aag agt cac cac agc ctg 7256 Arg Val Ala Ala Ser Val Asp Leu Ile Thr Lys Ser His His Ser Leu 2390 2395 2400 gac cgc cga gag ctg agc ttt gct gcc gtg tcc ttc tac cac aag ctc 7304 Asp Arg Arg Glu Leu Ser Phe Ala Ala Val Ser Phe Tyr His Lys Leu 2405 2410 2415 2420 cgg gca gct gat cag tat aag ccc aag gcc aag tac cat ggc aac gtg 7352 Arg Ala Ala Asp Gln Tyr Lys Pro Lys Ala Lys Tyr His Gly Asn Val 2425 2430 2435 aca ctg ctg cgt gcc aag aca ggc ggc acc tat ggc gag gac ttg ggt 7400 Thr Leu Leu Arg Ala Lys Thr Gly Gly Thr Tyr Gly Glu Asp Leu Gly 2440 2445 2450 gct gac tac aac ctc tcc cag gtg tgt gac ggg aag gtg tct gtg cac 7448 Ala Asp Tyr Asn Leu Ser Gln Val Cys Asp Gly Lys Val Ser Val His 2455 2460 2465 atc att gag ggt gac cac cgc aca ctg ctg gag ggc agt ggc ctg gaa 7496 Ile Ile Glu Gly Asp His Arg Thr Leu Leu Glu Gly Ser Gly Leu Glu 2470 2475 2480 tcc atc atc aac atc atc cat agc tcc ctg gct gag cca cga gtg agt 7544 Ser Ile Ile Asn Ile Ile His Ser Ser Leu Ala Glu Pro Arg Val Ser 2485 2490 2495 2500 gta cgg gag ggc tag acctgccgac caccatgaag ccacgctcca cacctgccac 7599 Val Arg Glu Gly cagagatgct ccgatcccca ccacaccctg agtgcaggaa ctggggaggg tcctgctggt 7659 gggacccctc cccccagtgg cccagcacca cccgctcccc tggtggctgc tacaaacaga 7719 ccatcacgcg tgtgtttccc agccgcgtag tggggttccc agagccactg acttggagac 7779 accctggtct gtgaagagtc agtggaggca ggagccaaac tgagcctttt ctaccgtgtg 7839 gcatttgcca cgctggtcgt ttctccatta aattctcata tttattgcat tgctgggaaa 7899 gacccccagg ggtgactcat tccagaaccc cctaaaatgg gagaagccat gtggggaaga 7959 tttctgggaa agtttctaga ctcaatacac aggctgctgg ctggagcccc tttttgtctt 8019 gtcctgtccc tgctcactgc agggcaggat atggagaggg ctggttccca gggaacaagg 8079 accccagcag acactgtagc ccgtggccct tggtccccag catccccggc tgccccatga 8139 tgcagggcca tcctgactct gcggaccgca ccgggcactg actgtctgtt ttccaagacg 8199 aaaatgatgc ttgggttttg acttttctgc agctgtcagt gtgaagaagt gtctggactg 8259 tgtcattttt acaccaacct ggtaaaaatg ctgctcttga tgctctcctg atcccacaat 8319 taaactgcac gtgagcgaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaa 8363 <210> SEQ ID NO 12 <211> LENGTH: 22 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 12 catgacctcg tgatgaacgt gt 22 <210> SEQ ID NO 13 <211> LENGTH: 21 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 13 cgggtgagga cgtttacaaa g 21 <210> SEQ ID NO 14 <211> LENGTH: 29 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Probe <400> SEQUENCE: 14 ccgtcacttc cagttagagc aggacaagc 29 <210> SEQ ID NO 15 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 15 ggcaaattca acggcacagt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 16 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 16 gggtctcgct cctggaagat 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 17 <211> LENGTH: 27 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Probe <400> SEQUENCE: 17 aaggccgaga atgggaagct tgtcatc 27 <210> SEQ ID NO 18 <211> LENGTH: 3000 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <220> FEATURE: <221> NAME/KEY: CDS <222> LOCATION: (2589)...(2711) <400> SEQUENCE: 18 cgactccgct cgccacgtgg ccgcgttccc ctcccctccg ccgagctcca gcgcctggag 60 tgcgctcgcc cgttcggccc tgcgcctcgt ccgggtcccc gggaagctgc taaggagggg 120 ccgtcgggtg ggtggacgtc cgtctcgggt ctgggttccc cgccgcaccg cgaggaaaac 180 cggggatgcg ctgcgatgac cggcagtaac cccggccggg gcgcccgcgg ccggggtcaa 240 cgccgcactt gcgccgcggc cgcgaggcat ccgggaccgc ccggcgccga ccatcaccct 300 atagctatta accacccgtg tgcgcattgg gccggtgcga acacccctgg cgccgattgg 360 ttgtgtgccg ccgcgccgcg caacgccgcg ccctcagcca gctccgcgcg ggcagcgacg 420 gcggcgtgga gtcggcggcc gaagtgcggg cacgcgggtc cgtccgtcct tcgcgcgatg 480 tgggtccgag cgccccgccg cagccggctg gacccccggt gtggcccacg gggtagtccc 540 cagtgtggcc caagtattcc catcccgcac acgtggcccc ggcggacacg ggggtcgggg 600 atggctcggg aggcgcgccg cgggctcggt cgcagcccgt gcgcgtcggg gccgcggggc 660 gggaggcgga agtcgggggg cggtggtttc ccgcccgccc cgcccccggc gctcctcagt 720 cccagcccca cccccccagg gcgttcccgc gcagggtccc ggctcgggcg gcggcgcgca 780 cgagcatcac cccaccggcg gcggcgcgcc gggtcccggg gcgcagcccc gacgctcatt 840 ggcctgggcg gcgcagccaa gctgtcagcc catgtggcgt ggccgcccgg ggatggccgc 900 ggtttaaata gcgtcggcgc cggcctagag ggagccagag agacggcagc ggccccggcc 960 tccctctccg ccgcgcttca gcctcccgtc cgccgcgctc cagcctcgct ctccgccgcc 1020 cgcaccgccg cccgcgccct caccaggtac gagcagcggc gctggggccg gcgcgcgggt 1080 cgtggtcggg ctgggcccgg ggccccgcgg agtaggtggg cggatggcgg gggaaggact 1140 ccggggaaat ccaccaacag ccgccttcgc ttcccagttt gggaggccgc ggaccctgaa 1200 gggcctggag gagcccccgg ctcggcctcc ccgcgcccac aaaagcgccg ccgctatcct 1260 cctccccgga gcccgccccg gagccgaggc ccagcccgaa ggggacgccg ggagggagga 1320 acgggggggc gcaggggccg cgccgggacc ggcctcccca tcacgtggcg cagcccggcc 1380 gaagcgcagg ggtcccgagc agcccccgcc cggggcgaag gaaggccggg ccgccgcggt 1440 gttcccaccc cctgcctggc cgtcgacccc gcgtgaatag caagcggcga ggacccagcg 1500 tgcgggcctg gagctggccc ggggcagcca agcctctgtg aatcgcagcg ggtgggaagg 1560 cggccgctcc ctgccgggac cgccaaggga ggccgcactg ccgaggggcg gcgcgcgtat 1620 caggccctgg ggcctcgtgc aagtggccag accagcagct gcctccgccc cctcccccca 1680 gggccgtcaa ccagccctca tgctggagga ggagccggcg gcctgggcac gttccgggtc 1740 ttagggacct gggctccagg gagggcctcc tgtggtgtgt gggttggtat ggggaggcaa 1800 gcgtctgtgg gttcacccgc gcaggtgaag ggtgccaggc aacacctgcg tgtcctggcc 1860 aggagtggtt ctccaggttg gaccctgctg gaggggttgg actggctggg tcggtccaca 1920 gtggggcagg ggccaccttt cccccagagt ataggctatc cccatttcgt ccctccccag 1980 ccctggtggc tcttgggctg gcctgacagc gggcccccac cccaacacgg gtgagactgg 2040 gtgctgagta cccccctcta ggctcccagc cacctccatg ccccggcttt gggaccctgc 2100 ctctccattt ctttgatggc ccttagcagg ctggcaacct gaggccttgt ccccatctca 2160 ggtgaccctg cctgctcctc actgtgagcc ccctggtgcc ctagggatgt ctgggacaag 2220 ctccaggagc cttggaaggc tgagactcag gcgagtggaa gccgacacag gcgcagaaac 2280 cagtaactgc tggggaggcc agggctgcag ggctccagtg ggtaccccag ccaataccct 2340 gaactgaatg ggtcaggccc agaggcgggc ctgttcccag agcacgcagc ccctcccagc 2400 gagagcgggg tcagggccca ggaactggcc acatgaggaa gggagccgca ggagccaggg 2460 cccgcacgga ccctcagggt ggtgcttggc ccatgggtgt ccacctgttc tgggtgccga 2520 ggctgttgac gggggtgtcg tggccgggat gtgtggggca ctcacaccgc ccgccctgca 2580 gagcagcc atg gag gag gtg gtg att gcc ggc atg tcc ggg aag ctg cca 2630 Met Glu Glu Val Val Ile Ala Gly Met Ser Gly Lys Leu Pro 1 5 10 gag tcg gag aac ttg cag gag ttc tgg gac aac ctc atc ggc ggt gtg 2678 Glu Ser Glu Asn Leu Gln Glu Phe Trp Asp Asn Leu Ile Gly Gly Val 15 20 25 30 gac atg gtc acg gac gat gac ctg cgc tgg aag gcgggtatgt ggctgcgggg 2731 Asp Met Val Thr Asp Asp Asp Leu Arg Trp Lys 35 40 ctccccgtgc ctggggtgtg aagctccatc tccacctttg tcctcacagc agcctcctgc 2791 tgtgctgtgt cctcaccacc caggcactgg ctgaggcggt ccagctgcag cctccttcct 2851 ggacattgca ccagagtggc ctagaaaatg cgcccagcct gccaggaggt tccctcaacg 2911 gctgcaaggc caacaggagg ctcccccaat ggctgcaagg ccgagggctg gccaggcagg 2971 gccatctgct tgttacggag gagccaagc 3000 <210> SEQ ID NO 19 <400> SEQUENCE: 19 000 <210> SEQ ID NO 20 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 20 gcccaccatg ctgtagccca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 21 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 21 tggcagccca ccatgctgta 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 22 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 22 gaggagcagg ctgtgtccag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 23 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 23 ccatctgtat tggtgccggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 24 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 24 tgaggctcag ccccatcccg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 25 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 25 tccaggcgca tgaggctcag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 26 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 26 ttcacagcct catcggagcg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 27 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 27 tcccggatca ccttcttgag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 28 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 28 ttgttgacat tgtactcggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 29 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 29 gcacagggct caccaggttg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 30 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 30 tccacaggtg ggaacaaggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 31 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 31 cccttgcaca gttgcagctc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 32 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 32 tgcaggttcc cgttgagctg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 33 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 33 cggcagccca gactgagggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 34 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 34 agacgcggca gcccagactg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 35 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 35 ggtgaagacg cggcagccca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 36 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 36 gggaacctgg cctggaggta 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 37 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 37 ctggcctgca gcttctcttc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 38 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 38 cgggccccct ccagtgagct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 39 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 39 acaaagtagt ccagctcagg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 40 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 40 agcacaaagc tgctcaggac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 41 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 41 ctgtggaaca cggtggtgga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 42 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 42 gcctgcagct gggagcacat 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 43 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 43 gtagctctgg gtgtaggcca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 44 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 44 gcccggtagc tctgggtgta 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 45 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 45 ccatggtact tggccttggg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 46 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 46 cgttgccatg gtacttggcc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 47 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 47 cgtggctcag ccagggagct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 48 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 48 ccagcaatgc aataaatatg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 49 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 49 gccgtctctc tggctccctc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 50 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 50 ctgctcgtac ctggtgaggg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 51 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 51 gcgattcaca gaggcttggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 52 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 52 ctgctaaggg ccatcaaaga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 53 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 53 tgaggagcag gcagggtcac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 54 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 54 cccggccacg acacccccgt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 55 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 55 gccccacaca tcccggccac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 56 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 56 catggctgct ctgcagggcg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 57 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 57 catggctgct ctggtgaggg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 58 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 58 acctcctcca tggctgctct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 59 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 59 acaggtcctt cagcttgccg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 60 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 60 tgaatctggg ttgatgcctc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 61 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 61 aggagcaggc tgtgtccagt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 62 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 62 ccgtgggctt cgatgtattc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 63 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 63 aaggagttga tgcccacgtt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 64 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 64 cggaggccct gctccagcag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 65 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 65 atcggagcgt aggatggaat 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 66 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 66 gacgatgtca tcaaaggtgc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 67 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 67 gagatgggct tctttgatgc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 68 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 68 catgaagtag gagtggaagg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 69 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 69 gggtgcgatg gcctccatga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 70 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 70 ctcaggtagc cagtggcggg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 71 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 71 tggcctggtg cagcaccaca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 72 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 72 tggtctgcag tgcctgcacc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 73 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 73 tgatggcctt cagccacaca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 74 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 74 cgtgcgtagc caagcacctc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 75 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 75 agcgggtggt tctgagaaag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 76 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 76 acgcctctcg ggtcaccctg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 77 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 77 caggcccagg tccgccagtg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 78 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 78 gcacggacag caccaggttg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 79 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 79 tgccagctcg ctggcctcat 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 80 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 80 cactgcaggc cataggtggg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 81 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 81 gagcacattt caaaggccac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 82 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 82 tccagcaccc tgttgtgctc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 83 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 83 tctgtctggg ctctggaggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 84 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 84 acctcctcca tggctcttct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 85 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 85 gagagccggt tggccatcat 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 86 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 86 ggtcctttga agtcgaagaa 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 87 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 87 ttcatgaact gcacagaggt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 88 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 88 acttcttagt cagcagaact 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 89 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 89 gggtgtccca tgttggattt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 90 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 90 gctcagggtg tcccatgttg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 91 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 91 gcccatcaag aagtgctggg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 92 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 92 gagttgatgc ccacgttgcc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 93 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 93 cattgagcat gctcacaaag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 94 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 94 gcgcatgagg ctcagcccca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 95 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 95 gtcctcagag ttgtggcagg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 96 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 96 acctccttgg caaacacacc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 97 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 97 tccatgaagt aggagtggaa 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 98 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 98 gggcaattcc ttccatgaag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 99 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 99 gggatagagg tgctgagcca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 100 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 100 cgggccaggc tgctctgcca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 101 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 101 ccaggttgtt gacattgtac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 102 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 102 gggctcacca ggttgttgac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 103 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 103 ggaactccac aggtgggaac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 104 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 104 gactgtggtc ccacttgatg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 105 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 105 tccagctgca ggttcccgtt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 106 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 106 ccagctccag ctgcaggttc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 107 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 107 tgatcagagg gtcttctggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 108 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 108 ccttcatctt gagagtagac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 109 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 109 tcttcagaga gtccacccac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 110 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 110 tagccacaca ggctgggagg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 111 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 111 ggcttgtcct gctctaactg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 112 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 112 ctttgccacc tgtgtgcagt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 113 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 113 cagaaggtct tggagatggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 114 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 114 gcccacgtca ccaatggcac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 115 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 115 tcggcaggtc tagccctccc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 116 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 116 tcggagcatc tctggtggca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 117 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 117 atggtctgtt tgtagcagcc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 118 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 118 ctctgggaac cccactacgc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 119 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 119 tcagtggctc tgggaacccc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 120 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 120 tgccacacgg tagaaaaggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 121 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 121 atggagaaac gaccagcgtg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 122 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 122 tctttcccag caatgcaata 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 123 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 123 cacatggctt ctcccatttt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 124 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 124 ctccagccag cagcctgtgt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 125 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 125 cacgggctac agtgtctgct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 126 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 126 acagacagtc agtgcccggt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 127 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 127 caaaacccaa gcatcatttt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 128 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 128 cacttcttca cactgacagc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 129 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 129 agcagcattt ttaccaggtt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 130 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 130 tgcagtttaa ttgtgggatc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 131 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 131 cgctcacgtg cagtttaatt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 132 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 132 tgggctacag catggtgggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 133 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 133 tacagcatgg tgggctgcca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 134 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 134 ctggacacag cctgctcctc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 135 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 135 gccggcacca atacagatgg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 136 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 136 cgggatgggg ctgagcctca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 137 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 137 ctgagcctca tgcgcctgga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 138 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 138 cgctccgatg aggctgtgaa 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 139 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 139 ctcaagaagg tgatccggga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 140 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 140 gccgagtaca atgtcaacaa 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 141 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 141 caacctggtg agccctgtgc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 142 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 142 gccttgttcc cacctgtgga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 143 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 143 gagctgcaac tgtgcaaggg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 144 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 144 cagctcaacg ggaacctgca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 145 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 145 gccctcagtc tgggctgccg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 146 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 146 cagtctgggc tgccgcgtct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 147 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 147 tgggctgccg cgtcttcacc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 148 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 148 tacctccagg ccaggttccc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 149 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 149 gaagagaagc tgcaggccag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 150 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 150 agctcactgg agggggcccg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 151 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 151 cctgagctgg actactttgt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 152 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 152 gtcctgagca gctttgtgct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 153 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 153 tccaccaccg tgttccacag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 154 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 154 atgtgctccc agctgcaggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 155 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 155 tggcctacac ccagagctac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 156 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 156 tacacccaga gctaccgggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 157 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 157 cccaaggcca agtaccatgg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 158 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 158 ggccaagtac catggcaacg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 159 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 159 agctccctgg ctgagccacg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 160 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 160 catatttatt gcattgctgg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 161 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 161 ccctcaccag gtacgagcag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 162 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 162 gccaagcctc tgtgaatcgc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 163 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 163 tctttgatgg cccttagcag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 164 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 164 gtgaccctgc ctgctcctca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 165 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 165 acgggggtgt cgtggccggg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 166 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 166 cgccctgcag agcagccatg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 167 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 167 ccctcaccag agcagccatg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 168 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 168 agagcagcca tggaggaggt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 169 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 169 cggcaagctg aaggacctgt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 170 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 170 actggacaca gcctgctcct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 171 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 171 aacgtgggca tcaactcctt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 172 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 172 ctgctggagc agggcctccg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 173 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 173 attccatcct acgctccgat 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 174 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 174 gcacctttga tgacatcgtc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 175 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 175 cccgccactg gctacctgag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 176 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 176 ggtgcaggca ctgcagacca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 177 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 177 tgtgtggctg aaggccatca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 178 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 178 gaggtgcttg gctacgcacg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 179 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 179 ctttctcaga accacccgct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 180 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 180 cagggtgacc cgagaggcgt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 181 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 181 cactggcgga cctgggcctg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 182 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 182 caacctggtg ctgtccgtgc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 183 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 183 atgaggccag cgagctggca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 184 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 184 cccacctatg gcctgcagtg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 185 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 185 gtggcctttg aaatgtgctc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 186 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: H. sapiens <400> SEQUENCE: 186 gagcacaaca gggtgctgga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 187 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 187 agaagagcca tggaggaggt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 188 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 188 atgatggcca accggctctc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 189 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 189 ttcttcgact tcaaaggacc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 190 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 190 acctctgtgc agttcatgaa 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 191 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 191 agttctgctg actaagaagt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 192 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 192 aaatccaaca tgggacaccc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 193 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 193 caacatggga caccctgagc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 194 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 194 cccagcactt cttgatgggc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 195 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 195 ggcaacgtgg gcatcaactc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 196 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 196 ctttgtgagc atgctcaatg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 197 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 197 cctgccacaa ctctgaggac 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 198 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 198 ggtgtgtttg ccaaggaggt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 199 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 199 ttccactcct acttcatgga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 200 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 200 cttcatggaa ggaattgccc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 201 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 201 tggcagagca gcctggcccg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 202 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 202 gtacaatgtc aacaacctgg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 203 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 203 catcaagtgg gaccacagtc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 204 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 204 aacgggaacc tgcagctgga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 205 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 205 gtctactctc aagatgaagg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 206 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 206 gtgggtggac tctctgaaga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 207 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 207 cagttagagc aggacaagcc 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 208 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 208 actgcacaca ggtggcaaag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 209 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 209 gccatctcca agaccttctg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 210 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 210 gggagggcta gacctgccga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 211 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 211 tgccaccaga gatgctccga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 212 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 212 ggctgctaca aacagaccat 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 213 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 213 gcgtagtggg gttcccagag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 214 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 214 gccttttcta ccgtgtggca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 215 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 215 cacgctggtc gtttctccat 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 216 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 216 tattgcattg ctgggaaaga 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 217 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 217 aaaatgggag aagccatgtg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 218 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 218 acacaggctg ctggctggag 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 219 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 219 agcagacact gtagcccgtg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 220 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 220 accgggcact gactgtctgt 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 221 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 221 aaaatgatgc ttgggttttg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 222 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 222 gctgtcagtg tgaagaagtg 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 223 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 223 aacctggtaa aaatgctgct 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 224 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 224 gatcccacaa ttaaactgca 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 225 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: M. musculus <400> SEQUENCE: 225 aattaaactg cacgtgagcg 20 

What is claimed is:
 1. A compound 8 to 80 nucleobases in length targeted to a nucleic acid molecule encoding fatty acid synthase, wherein said compound specifically hybridizes with said nucleic acid molecule encoding fatty acid synthase of SEQ ID NO: 4 and inhibits the expression of fatty acid synthase.
 2. The compound of claim 1 which is an antisense oligonucleotide.
 3. The compound of claim 2 wherein the antisense oligonucleotide comprises at least one modified internucleoside linkage.
 4. The compound of claim 3 wherein the modified internucleoside linkage is a phosphorothioate linkage.
 5. The compound of claim 2 wherein the antisense oligonucleotide comprises at least one modified sugar moiety.
 6. The compound of claim 5 wherein the modified sugar moiety is a 2′-O-methoxyethyl sugar moiety.
 7. The compound of claim 2 wherein the antisense oligonucleotide comprises at least one modified nucleobase.
 8. The compound of claim 7 wherein the modified nucleobase is a 5-methylcytosine.
 9. The compound of claim 2 wherein the antisense oligonucleotide is a chimeric oligonucleotide.
 10. A composition comprising the compound of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.
 11. The composition of claim 10 further comprising a colloidal dispersion system.
 12. The composition of claim 10 wherein the compound is an antisense oligonucleotide.
 13. A method of inhibiting the expression of fatty acid synthase in cells or tissues comprising contacting said cells or tissues with the compound of claim 1 so that expression of fatty acid synthase is inhibited.
 14. A method of treating an animal having a disease or condition associated with fatty acid synthase comprising administering to said animal a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the compound of claim 1 so that expression of fatty acid synthase is inhibited.
 15. A method of screening for a modulator of fatty acid synthase expression, the method comprising the steps of: a. contacting a preferred target region of a nucleic acid molecule encoding fatty acid synthase with one or more candidate modulators of fatty acid synthase expression which bind to said preferred target region, and b. identifying one or more modulators of fatty acid synthase expression which modulate the expression of fatty acid synthase.
 16. A method of increasing the metabolic rate of an animal comprising administering to an animal a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the compound of claim
 1. 17. A method of decreasing adiposity of an animal comprising administering to an animal a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the compound of claim
 1. 18. A method of decreasing serum leptin of an animal comprising administering to an animal a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the compound of claim
 1. 19. A method of decreasing serum cholesterol of an animal comprising administering to an animal a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the compound of claim
 1. 20. A method of decreasing blood glucose of an animal comprising administering to an animal a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the compound of claim
 1. 21. A method of decreasing serum insulin of an animal comprising administering to an animal a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the compound of claim
 1. 22. A method of decreasing serum lipids of an animal comprising administering to an animal a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of the compound of claim
 1. 